Dream
by locisvu82
Summary: Lima 12 years after graduation: Santana and Brittany meet up again, after a strange twist of fate. Their lives are completely changed. Can their hearts find each other again?
1. Dr Lopez

**Title:** Dream

**Fandom:** Glee

**Pairings:** Brittany/Santana

**Rating:** T-M

**Summary: **Lima 12 years after graduation

**Author's note 1:** We are two Italian girls, English is not our first language but we'll do our best, so just be kind ok? Thank you! The story's not mine, I'm just the translator. The wonderful mind behind these words is Elettra28: thank you my friend, you gave me this chance, I really hope to do your work justice!

**Author's note 2:** This is the second edition of the first chapter. Thank you my dear Vixien00 for being my beta reader! Thank you for your patience!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly but no I don't own anything or anybody.

* * *

><p>"<em>What are you doing, San?<em>_ Are you thinking of taking off my clothes?" the dancer told her while she was lying on the bed in her bedroom._

"_mmmmm what do you think Britt?" the brunette replied with a lustful gaze._

"_I'm glad because I'm feeling really hot" the blonde __burst into laughter __while__ she tried to cool off fanning herself with her hand._

_Santana accepted those words like an invitation to keep going so she literally threw herself in Brittany's arms. She then ravished her neck, taking off her remaining clothes. She stopped staring at Brittany's amazing body with lust._

"_God Britt... you are so perfect!" she whispered in the blonde's ear biting her bottom lip._

_Laughing loudly Brittany bolted like a cat and rolled over settling on top of Santana._

"_Hey" said the shocked brunette._

"_Today I'm going first" she brushed against her lips._

_In few seconds, Santana's clothes flew across the room with Brittany twirling them around in the air, swaying her hips like she was dancing._

_Santana adored the way Brittany moved her body, so sensual, and at that moment she was doing it on top of her... her Brittany was so wonderful! She put her hands on her hips looking at her longingly._

_Brittany slowly leaned down without ever breaking eye contact with her and crushed her lips on Santana's eagerly. Their tongues danced hungryly with each other. No one knew how to kiss like her Britt, no one knew how to make her feel like her Britt did. The blonde slid down her neck planting hot and wet kisses making Santana moan deeply. After a quick look and a flirty smile, she went down on Santana's breasts, by then hard and swollen. She fondled them gently and then she enveloped one nipple between her lips. Santana arched her back into the warm touch, holding tightly on the bed sheets. Brittany kissed her way up to Santana's mouth claiming her in a burning kiss, it was like her lips couldn't help themselves, like she needed to get the oxygen from them to breathe again and survive. While she kissed her, Brittany began to grind her body on the girl beneath her, and Santana put her leg around her waist joining their body more tightly._

_They were one, their body fit perfectly together, they were so used to the warm of the other that every single path of skin matched perfectly with the other's._

_The dancer freed herself from that embrace and went down on Santana showering her belly with kisses. Santana trembled with the tenderness of Brittany's touch and grasped the blonde head to guide it where she needed her the most. Brittany smiled to her girlfriend's eagerness and, admiring the paradise that was waiting for her, she plunged her lips into Santana's warmth._

"_Yes!"she sighed._

"_Oh God Britt... you drive me crazy!" Santana's breath became shallower as the blonde quickly went in and out of her..._

"OH SHIT YES!"

Santana woke up with a start, she was panting aroused. She found herself sitting on her bed in the dark of her bedroom. She turned on her left and switched on the light.

"What's happening?" There was a voice coming from her right.

"Eh?" She looked over to the man lying next to her who still had his eyes closed and was fighting sleep.

"You yelled something and you woke me up" he muttered.

She took a breath and said "Yeah... A nightmare... Sorry if I woke you up" she was trying to calm down, breathing slowly in and out.

"Don't worry... You ok?"

"Y-Yes... I'll just go and drink some water" she answered.

"mmmm... it's the chili... I told you not to eat that much!" He was already turning around giving her his back.

"True... I'll try to remember that!" She quickly got up from the bed not waiting for a reply, she knew he was already asleep.

* * *

><p>"So... What is it?"<p>

"What are you talking about?" the brunette asked her friend.

"Swollen face, bags under your eyes... do I really need to go on?"

"No Quinn, you are thorough" she immediately stopped her making her laugh.

They were doing stretching after their daily one hour morning run in the park just outside the city.

"I had a nightmare and I couldn't go back to sleep" she was really glad for the run and the morning hot temperature so that Quinn couldn't notice the flush on her cheeks.

"Like what? What kind of nightmare?" The blonde asked without looking at her focused on leaning down to touch her ankles.

"Don't worry, it was nothing" She quickly replied hoping Quinn wouldn't pry anymore.

"Please tell me you haven't dreamed again of your Chief of Surgery tying you to a chair and torturing you... because, really, I'm calling my secretary to make an appointment... it's becoming disturbing"

"No no it wasn't like that" Santana couldn't help but smiling a little.

After some sit-ups she got up and went for the bottle of water: she really needed something icy to cool off.

Obviously Quinn caught that slip. Suspicious her blonde friend came closer with her hands on her hips staring at her grinning face. Santana took a really long drink and nearly choked on it after noticing Quinn's weird expression.

"I know that smirk!" Quinn said challenging.

After a few seconds Santana cave in.

"Ok ok I'll tell you... even if it's a bit awkward" this time Quinn caught the flush on her face and certainly it couldn't be mistaken for the heat of the run.

"Come on, spill it! What are you waiting for?" she pressed her eagerly.

Santana kept staring at her friend with an uncomfortable and at the same time naughty look.

"Oh my God you had an erotic dream!" Quinn opened her mouth wide in surprise making Santana laugh loudly.

"You are a naughty girl you know? Tell me, it was about your intern right? the one with the body of a God? Come on Lopez he is your student, you can't go on daydreaming about him!" she scolded amused. Santana smiled even harder.

"Oh give it girl, come on... come on... you can't leave it there!" Quinn quickly began to tickle her.

"Ok ok ok... wait... stop it... I'll tell you... just stop it" Quinn stopped, hanging on her every word.

The brunette took a deep breath gaining some courage.

"I dreamed of Brittany"

And the smile on Quinn's face disappeared right away.

"WHAT?" with eyes open wide "Brittany Pierce?" She asked for confirmation and Santana nodded.

"Oh shit Santana, it was 12 years ago!"

"I know it and I also know, and correct me if I'm wrong, this should be your area of expertise Mrs. Quinn Fabray graduated on top of her class in psychology! You can't control your dreams!" She dared her blonde friend to deny it.

"Now and then dreams are the result of the recurring thoughts of someone or something that our brain process when we sleep"

Santana opened her arms defensive "I swear I haven't thought about her in ages"

"I knew it, you are already at the stage of teen age regression!" Quinn shook her head disappointed

"Oh come on Quinn, it was just a dream, stop psychoanalyze me, I'm not one of your depressed patients!"

"From the look on your face, it wasn't like you dreamed of taking a walk in the park with Brittany or picking up flowers with her" Santana's face gave her away and Quinn saw it.

"Oh you are so paranoid!" Santana sat down on a bench giving the blonde her back. Quinn slowly moved closer and took a seat next to her.

"It was just a dream Quinn... really! The only problem was that I woke Adam up with my scream!"

"You told him?"

"Of course not, I couldn't tell I had an incredible dream in which I had the best sex of my life, with my ex GIRLFRIEND!" Santana was shocked Quinn would have thought of that.

Quinn was dazed " So you liked it!"

"If I have to be honest... yes I liked it. A lot... it was so real..." She said with a dreamy gaze.

"And you're still thinking about it" It wasn't a question and the two of them knew it, still Santana nodded with a smile on her face thinking about all the feelings the dream brought back.

"And you want to dream about it again" not a question once again.

"Yes" Santana admitted it.

"See!" Quinn was angry at her.

"Oh calm down Quinn, what's the problem? From what I know she's living on the other side of the world!"

"Santana, do I have to remind you that you are a married woman, I was right there with you when you pledge your undying love to Adam before God... I was your maid of honor for goodness sake!"

"I know... but I'm married to a man who doesn't love me anymore" she smiled bitterly.

"That's not true! Adam loves you... you are just going through a little crisis that's all" She tried to calm down because she remembered that recently this topic got Santana upset.

"Hey, you were MY maid of honor, you should be on MY side!" Santana was annoyed.

"But I am on your side, always and whatever you decide to do" Quinn took hold of Santana's hand trying to soothe her " We have known each other since forever San, we shared so much together, even all the stupid things we did in college" A smile broke out on her face.

"Yeah" Santana was smiling too thinking back on their college days and how lost she would have been without Quinn's help and friendship.

"I just don't understand, really. You and Adam were the perfect couple. You were so in love!" the blonde said wistfully.

"Exactly, past tense! Now he doesn't even look at me! I just don't recognize him anymore: he is not the Adam I married back then!" she dropped her eyes sadly freeing her hand from Quinn's grip.

"It will all come back you know, maybe he is just having a hard time at work, both of you are, you just need to slow down a little bit and reconnect"

"Easy for you to say, you've got the perfect husband who only has eyes for you and only you!"

"We have been married for just 6 month, give us some time and we are going to fight like every other normal married couple!" they openly laughed together at the blonde's words.

But then Santana grew serious again.

"Dreaming about Brittany gave me a feeling of joy, freedom and happiness... I was so happy I could have cried... Everything was like when we were 18 and we loved each other so very much!" Only Santana knew how much she really longed for that feeling to come back again.

"Santana you were two young girls, now you are thirty years old. You made some incredible and brave choices back then, and I know you didn't regret that... you were amazing together... but leave it in the past ok? That's not you anymore. After Brittany had to go away, you tried to start a new life without her and you made it. Now you got a brilliant career ahead of you, you are a fantastic doctor, and you have a wonderful husband and good friends that love you!" Quinn looked at her motherly putting a wisp of hair behind her ear.

Santana nodded, Quinn was right, but deep down she knew she wasn't entirely happy. Dreaming of Brittany that night... it wasn't good for her, it brought back all these old feelings that her daily routine was able to suppress.

"You are right!" Santana sighed holding Quinn's hands.

"I'm so lucky you are still right here with me after all these years, I don't know what I would do without you" Santana was touched.

"I'm the lucky one!" Quinn pulled away a little just to be able to look into her eyes and brush her cheek.

"Are you ready for our weekly poker game tomorrow night? Our dear friends are so going down!"

"Like always!" she smiled wickedly.

* * *

><p>"mmmmm what's the delicious smell?" Adam still had the briefcase in his hand.<p>

"Vegetable stew with bacon" she answered him smiling. She then turned to him waiting for his hello kiss.

"You're home early, usually you don't have time to cook fine food" He said casually checking the mail on the table.

"Yes I've left some papers to my slaves, besides that's what first year residents are for, right?" She reply with an evil glance.

"Poor kids, you surely terrify them with your vicious vicious words!" He smiled sorting through letters.

"Not that much... Anyway aren't you happy I'm cooking for you?"

"Eh?... Yes... Oh God... Please tell me I didn't forgot some anniversary" said Adam after thinking a little and panicking on his possible omission.

"No, there's no anniversary. I just wanted to dedicate some time to my husband, don't you like it?" she was already getting annoyed.

"Of course I do. But hey I deserve it after a long day!" smiling proud.

"You are not the only one working long hours" She gave him an angry look.

"Yes I know... Everybody knows that Doctor Lopez spends her life saving lives!" He waved the journal in his hand heading for the bedroom.

"Fuck off Adam!" Santana muttered furious.

XXX

"I'm sorry for... I didn't want to belittle your work!" Adam was sitting on the bed surfing the internet on his laptop. Their dinner has been a silent one. He didn't realize he had once again hurt his wife's feelings with his words.

"Don't worry" She said carelessly but without looking at him.

The man turned over looking silently at her wife... He knew his apologies weren't enough. He closed his pc, putting it on the floor. He then proceed to hold Santana from behind.

"I'm really sorry love... it's just... all these things... I have to stay away in New York for 3 days a week and it's exhausting. You know how I hate to travel!" He whispered to her ear kissing her collarbone.

"I know... but every time it feels like you are the only one who's doing a hard job in this family... I have a demanding job too, you know?" She answered.

"I know... but you are stronger than me!" He replied with a gentle smile, knowing that with these words he surely had her forgiveness.

Santana turned to him and said "You are a bastard, because you don't think that, even if it's the truth!" She took his face in her hands laughing.

"No really, Santana Lopez is the strongest woman ever and she keeps her super perfect husband in line!"

"You are right except for the super perfect husband... we still need to work on that!" she smiled at him before kissing his lips tenderly.

The kiss quickly grew deeper and more passionate... and then suddenly Adam's phone rang. He instantly recognize the ringtone and he immediately broke the kiss to answer the phone.

"Hi James... No, don't worry you don't bother me, what's up?"

Santana rolled her eyes annoyed.

Adam came back into the room and Santana saw him picking up some clothes packing a suitcase.

"What's happening?"

"They moved up to the morning the meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon so we have to take tonight last plane for New York to be on time" He grumbled focused on packing.

"Oh perfect!" Santana spoke up.

"Hey it's my job, what do you think uh? How can you afford a 600 $ bag like the one you bought yesterday? If we lived in NY and not in this forgotten city in the middle of nowhere we wouldn't have all these problems!"

Santana hated that Adam put their jobs and money between them all the time. He was always talking about his job like it was the most important thing in the world, like he was the only one providing for their family even if Santana's salary was as good as his. He never missed a chance to remind her of having given up the possibility to live in New York to stay in Lima where there were Santana's friends and work.

"Yeah right! Sure! Have a safe journey perfect husband of mine!" She gave him his back deciding to ignore him.

"Thank you my lovely wife... you can console yourself with my credit card while I'm away!" then Adam took his suitcase knowing he had surely hurt her wife with his last words.

Santana didn't rise to the bait, she just hugged her pillow tightly to her chest crying silently.

* * *

><p>"Doctor Lopez, there's a problem" a young resident briskly approached Santana, trying to match her rhythm walking beside her along the corridor.<p>

"Spark, it's 2 am and I still have 6 hours to go, if it's not a matter of life and death I don't wanna hear it, work it out yourself" The brunette said still walking quickly without even giving her a second look.

The young girl stopped drained and demoralized. Santana hesitated a little and then turn around looking at her resident.

"So? Come on ginger where's the fire?" she asked with a hint of a smile while her red headed student opened her eyes wide thrilled.

"There's no bed in cardiology for Mrs. Fey, they said she had to wait here" the young doctor replied quietly afraid of her boss' reaction.

"Impossible, our beds need to be available for emergency!"

"That's what I tried to tell them, apparently they don't care!" Spark whispered terrified.

"Ok, so tell that white coat walrus who goes under the ordinary name of Smith that if he doesn't find me a bed in his ward asap, he could easily put himself on the waiting list with his patients because I would rip off his heart with my bare hands!" Santana moved her arms as if, totally scaring her student.

"the ER is not the hospital parking lot do you hear me Spark? Command respect otherwise I'm gonna use your redhead for the candles on Halloween!" then she turned around and went back to the OR ward while her resident stuttered "O-k o-k" as a reply.

XXX

Santana went back to her office sighing.

"I have to do everything alone, incompetents!" she lay down on the bed in the attending physician room.

Ten days went by after she dreamed of Brittany and still she couldn't stop thinking about it, Brittany's face became an obsession, all she had to do was close her eyes to see her wonderful smile. She groaned out loud.

"Santana you are thinking about a teen crush! Damn it, you are 30 years old! You can't live in the past!" she rubbed her face trying to wake up from her daydream.

For a moment she even thought she could write Brittany a letter again, she still had her address in Paris somewhere and she still had all the letters they exchanged after Brittany's sudden departure... and what if going through that letters would made her think about Brittany even more? She hadn't opened that memory box since forever. No, no she couldn't do it. Now she had a new life and Brittany wasn't in it, she was only a beautiful memory from her younger days, becoming more and more a burden as the years went by.

She was still lost in her thoughts when her phoned beeped with a new text:

_We are invited to the Holiday's opening... you heard about that? Are we going?_

She was puzzled: it was 3 am, why wasn't Quinn sleeping?

_Fabray, sugar, we are in the middle of the night and you should be asleep or at least having sex with your incredible husband rather than texting me! Anyway, I don't know, I think Adam wouldn't want to go. I'll try to avoid my colleague, I could say I didn't heard of it._

Happy with her message, she thought about Blaine: it was really important for him that Quinn and her went to the opening of his club. They remained friends after high school and they went to the same university. But his club was a gay club and surely Adam wouldn't want to go and she didn't want to have another fight about her husband prejudice against homosexuals.

Another beep:

_As a matter of fact I just finished having sex with my husband and it was very satisfying :) I just remembered the invitation and I didn't want to forget to tell you. We'll talk about it another time but remember how important it is for Blaine...Night Lopez, don't torture your students too much!_

She was disgusted at the message.

_Ok night... p.s.: I really hope you washed your hands before typing on your phone... bleah :D_

She smiled widely thinking about Quinn's reaction... sometimes she was a complete idiot.

Suddenly her pager went off, there was an emergency. She quickly got up from the bed, she fixed up a ponytail and ran out of the door.

XXX

"What do we got?" she asked the paramedic that burst in the E.R. pushing a stretcher.

"Woman, 20 years old, drugs overdose, anxiolitycs, serious wounds on both her wrists and abdomen, severe blood loss, pressure 60/30, pulse weak"

"Perfect, another girl with no love for life! Okay room 3, Spark, Miller, Martin with me! Lewis call surgery tell them to get an OR ready we are coming in 30 minutes!" she spoke in a commanding voice. All the residents carried out her orders instantly.

"Martin get ready for a gastric lavage! Miller find out her blood group then call for some units! Spark come here, the abdomen wound it's the deepest, dab it! Come on ginger, now's your chance, let's see what you're made of!" Santana said encouraging her.

She then gave a quick look at the young blonde on the stretcher. She was struck by her eyes: she knew that odd shape, in that moment she couldn't remember when but she had already seen those eyes. She woke up from her thoughts when she heard the beep of the girl's heart resonating in the room.

"Doctor, she's going into fibrillation!" a nurse yelled next to her.

"Ok charge 100!" She picked up the plates of the defibrillator putting them on the girl's chest "Shock!" Silence. Nothing.

"I'm not gonna let you die! You're not going to die on my shift!" She stared at the young patient.

Then she shouted again "Charge 150... Shock!" The girl's chest came off the stretcher under the powerful shock. They waited in silence for the heart reaction and then after some endless seconds they heard the regular beep of the device. They all sighed in relief.

"See ginger! That's how you do it!" she turned proud to her student.

"Ok she got a spleen laceration, she needs surgery, we need that OR! Lewis, who's on duty?"

"Dr. Anderson" the resident replied immediately.

"Oh damn it, apparently I have to see him!" she though back to Quinn text.

"Come on guys, we need to find our 3rd floor favorite's sissy!" She said pushing the stretcher towards the elevator.

XXX

"Dr. Lopez... It's always a pleasure working with you!" Blaine smiled bowing to Santana.

"Dr. Anderson... the pleasure's all mine!" she returned his smile.

"Ok tell me about your patient" He was already putting on the gloves.

"We don't know much. Just that she was desperate. She cut herself more than once and swallowed a large amount of psycho drugs... she wanted to kill herself"

"Oh wonderful, Viva la vida eh? Just like Coldplay's song.." He then put the surgical mask on.

"Yeah... she's got spleen laceration, I think we need to remove it and we have to find out if she did some other internal damage down there. But I'm sure of one thing: I'm not going to let her die, not in my hospital!" the doctor said it tying her mask behind her head.

"Santana Lopez the most strong-headed woman of the world!" Blaine laughed at her friend.

"You should have known it by now, we know each other since high school, oh little warbler of mine!" She smiled widely before going into the OR.

XXX

"Successful surgery, thank you all! And you Dr. Anderson were, I would dare to say, perfect!" She was so proud of her friend, Blaine really had become an incredible surgeon.

"I had a good second! It was just like when we were in Glee club right?"

"And you always want to be the diva like then!" She pushed him with the shoulder.

"Yeah..." then his voice wavered uncertainly "Are you coming to the opening?" he asked after a little hesitation.

"Oh Blaine I don't know if I can make it... Adam's being working so hard and we are so tired these days" She was just making excuses and she knew it.

"Don't worry, it's not a problem... just remember I would love if you could come" he replied gently.

"Ok I'll do my best... I promise you!" she gave him a peck on the cheek before letting him go back to his ward.

XXX

"_Come on Lopez, just another hour and this endless night is over!" _she thought walking towards the coffee maker for the umpteenth cup of the day.

"Doctor Lopez!" a voice called from behind. Lifting her eyes Santana turned around looking daggers at the person who anxiously asked for her.

"We've got a problem!" Ashley Spark continued to be terrified by her boss, but inevitably it was always up to her giving bad news, destiny really was mad at her!

"Ok ginger, you have to broaden your vocabulary, I'll buy you a dictionary to help you in this hard task!" she burst out tired.

"It's about the girl we just operate... the girl who tried to kill herself" the resident said shyly.

"Yes I know who she is... I just got out from that damned OR where I saved her life!"

"Right... well... her sister is in the waiting room... there are some problems with the insurance... well... they don't have one" she spluttered out knowing this was the topic that annoyed her boss the most.

"What? No no no... Spark you know exactly how much I hate taking care of these things... you already heard it all before, you know what to do... you don't need me for this!"

She really hated dealing with bureaucracy, she loathed that in America, well-recognized as a free country, there was so many health care restrictions with two different social classes with different health care: the wealthy and the poor!

"But... this is a difficult case... it's a special situation... I never had to deal with a suicide... Besides her sister is devastated, she didn't do anything but crying since she came in" Spark nearly had tears in her eyes.

Santana was moved to pity, that day she was particularly sensitive to Spark's whining.

"Stop it... just this once, ok? But take notes ginger, because there won't be another time, I'm not going to come to your rescue again, understood?" she said to the student who was trying to catch up with her, fighting a smile of relief.

They stopped in front of the waiting room door, Santana spared her resident a last glance.

"Look and learn ok? You have to be hard and leave your feelings aside if you don't want to lose your paycheck cause you boss is gonna take money from you if the patient doesn't pay"

She spoke with confidence and then she opened the door.

She moved closer to a blonde skinny girl with a tousled ponytail who currently had her head in her hands and was sobbing her heart out.

"Ms. Pierce, this is Dr. Lopez, she is the one who took care of your sister" Spark pronounced clearly.

Santana opened her eyes wide while staring at Spark as soon as she heard that name. Slowly she turned her face towards the blonde who had already raised her tear-stained face after hearing the word '_Lopez'._

"Brittany?"

"Santana?"


	2. Adrian

_She moved closer to a blonde skinny girl with a tousled ponytail who currently had her head in her hands and was sobbing her heart out._

"_Ms. Pierce, this is Dr. Lopez, she is the one who took care of your sister" Spark pronounced clearly._

_Santana opened her eyes wide while staring at Spark as soon as she heard that name. Slowly she turned her face towards the blonde who had already raised her tear-stained face after hearing the word 'Lopez'._

"_Brittany?"_

"_Santana?"_

* * *

><p>"Oh my God, Santana, is that really you?"<p>

The brunette didn't even have the time to reply or realize that the skinny girl with the waitress uniform could really be her former high schoolmate, because Brittany was already holding her tightly in her arms.

For a moment Santana stopped breathing. Images of the numerous times in which Brittany had embraced her invaded her mind like little flashbacks. She recognized the familiar touch of the arms that were now too thin and less strong than she remembered. She welcomed the familiar position of the blonde's chin wedged right between her shoulder and collarbone, since Brittany had always been taller than her. She opened her eyes trying to escape the memories and mustering up her courage she hugged Brittany back even more tightly time patting her on the back awkwardly at the same time. She turned her head and she caught her resident that was looking at her with a confused expression.

"Yes, it's me" she decided to loosen the hold a little to answer the previous question.

"How's Adrian? Please tell me she's gonna live!" Brittany tug at her shoulder roughly with tears in her eyes.

"She-She's going to be ok. The surgery went well" the brunette replied still shaken up.

Brittany gave her a little smile feeling relieved by the news. Santana noticed that right after the blonde took one long shuddering breath, her eyes rolled backwards in her head. Then Brittany lost her strength and crumpled onto the floor.

Santana was quick and she was able to catch her before she could hit her head.

"Spark come here, help me!" She ordered. The young doctor had stood aside all through their talk, giving them privacy.

Santana and Spark grabbed Brittany and laid her down on a stretcher located in one of the corners of the room.

"Bring me some sugared water!" she said while she checked for Brittany's pulse.

The blonde's eyes slowly fluttered open. Santana felt the strange impulse to cry, feeling helpless at the sight of the sad and weakened woman. She reached forward and placed her palm against Brittany's cheek caressing her while she smiled sweetly trying to calm her down.

Brittany responded with a tired smile.

"Did I pass out?"

The brunette nodded.

"Yes, when was the last time you slept? And more important when was the last time you ate something? You are visibly dehydrated" Santana was worried.

"Are you a doctor?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah and I was the one operating on Adrian..." She was about to tell her that Blaine helped her when Ashley came back.

"Here's the water, Dr. Lopez!" She then passed the glass to Santana that brought it to Brittany's mouth, lifting up her head.

"Drink! You'll feel better!" she whispered softly.

The blonde quietly drank all the water.

"Thank you" she said laying back down on the pillow.

"Better?"

Brittany nodded.

"Spark get a saline drip, she is too dehydrated" the resident immediately got to work.

"Are you her boss?" Brittany asked gaping.

Santana smiled at the question "Sort of".

"Wow you are a big gun!" She was so proud of Santana.

"Well let's say I'm respected around here!"

"You always knew how to be!"

They smiled uncomfortably. Then there was only silence.

"Thank you for saving my sister's life" The blonde said after a long time, looking sincere.

"That's my job... I didn't know the girl was Adrian... little Adrian..." She froze as she remembered Brittany's little sister: in the OR she had recognized that odd but curiously familiar shape of her eyes.

"God Brittany, what happened to Adrian to make her do something so extreme?" She knew that the question was too personal for two people who hadn't seen each other in the last 12 years, but she couldn't help herself, she really needed to know what was going on in Brittany's life.

Instinctively Brittany turned her gaze to the wall with tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. I can't ask you something so personal, not anymore... not since... I know I can't but..."

"A lot of things have changed, Santana!" the blonde cut her off "…and Adrian, she's not our little Adrian anymore...even you could see that!" she said furiously wiping away her tears.

Santana looked at her while the blonde dried the tears on her face and proudly stopped crying.  
>Santana thought that the Brittany she knew once would have thrown herself into her arms crying uncontrollably till Santana would have been able to kiss her pain away soothing her, telling her that she would have taken care of everything.<p>

"Brittany, I know it was long time ago, but if you need anything, I'm still here for you, I can help you... Dr. Spark told me you don't have a medical insurance, is it true?"

Brittany turned her face again and in that moment Santana knew for sure she wasn't ok.

"I want to see Adrian... Where is she?" Brittany suddenly sprang up from the stretcher.

"No no wait... She is sleeping. She lost a lot of blood, we are giving her transfusions, but she is going to be ok. Trust me." she said, this time looking Brittany straight in the eye.

Brittany seemed to calm down for a minute when suddenly she grabbed Santana's arm tightening her hold hard and with watery eyes she said "San please, I need to see her right now, I have to make sure she's gonna be ok, I have to see it with my eyes"

Santana stopped breathing right after she heard Brittany whispering "San", a word so Brittany-like: her voice, her eyes, her lips. Everything screamed at her of her Britt. She hadn't heard that word in so long she thought she forgot the feeling behind that intimate pet name. She swallowed hard trying to recover from all that long lost feelings.

"You need an I.V. drip, you're too weak..."

"Please..." now Brittany was begging her.

"O-ok ok... but you have to promise me you'll do the I.V.?"

The blonde nodded with a hint of a smile.

While she was helping Brittany getting off the stretcher, Santana's pager went off. At the same time, Ashley came back with the saline drip.

"Oh shit!" Santana exclaimed out loud, earning puzzled looks from the other two people in the room.

"Spark take Ms. Pierce to her sister's room and then to my office for the I.V., I'll come as soon as I can" She looked from one woman to the other.

"But... she is in intensive care... she can't go in..." the read-head dared to contradict her boss.

"Spark! Save your breath so you can tell the nurses it was my order!" She cut her off immediately handing the young doctor her office's key.  
>"Then give Ms. Pierce the I.V.!" She concluded. Some things never change in spite of all and Brittany was so glad Santana's gentle way of addressing people haven't changed through all this years. An open grin formed on the blonde's face.<p>

Turning around Santana caught it and returned it with an understanding smile of her own.

"You can see her just for a few minutes, nothing more" She said putting her hand in her white coat's pocket. She handed Brittany her business card "We'll see each other later... but I'm giving it to you now, before I forget it... there's my private number too" She said already walking away from her. Turning one last time she pointed the waiting room's exit to Spark.

XXX

She run to the hospital's last floor completely terrified at the thought of what could have happened. She stepped out of the elevator and stopped a moment to catch her breath. She went back to a door that led to a little terrace, she opened it and went out.

She realized she needed to breath, she definitely couldn't face her boss in that state of mind. She was exhausted from her night's shift: the difficult surgery and the unexpected meeting that - like a spatio-temporal vortex - sent her back into the past, making her feel emotions she thought were lost long time ago. She breathed deeply in the morning brisk air. She felt cold, but in a nice kind of way. It was what she needed to calm down and put to rest all these feelings that shook her up from the moment she met Brittany in the hospital's hallway. Santana knew she wasn't ready to see Brittany again, heck... she might never be ready to see her favorite blonde again.

_"Ok Lopez, calm down, don't think of what happened in the last minutes, delete it from your mind and try to find the solution of the problem that the bastard inevitably is gonna pose right after you walk through the door!"_

She punched the rail she was leaning on. She took one last deep breath and then, with decision, she headed towards her boss's office.

XXX

"Lopez! Come in, I was waiting for you!" The Chief of Surgery was about fifty.

"Hello boss, you asked for me?" Santana sat uncomfortably in one of the two chairs facing the desk.

"Santana Lopez, one of my best doctors! I only have good memories of the time you were my student, you know? You are your father's pride!" the man said.

"Thank you, Sir!"

"I've heard you are doing an incredible job with the team of residents I've put you in charge of in the E.R. They told me you keep them in line and no one dares to say a word" he kept talking peering at her closely.

Santana smiled awkward.

"I don't want to take up too much of your time, I know you worked nightshift, you must be tired and surely you can't wait to go home"

Santana nodded, without saying a word. She just wanted to run away from that office as soon as possible and go back to Brittany.

The Chief grabbed some papers on the right side of his desk.

"I've heard that tonight it was chaotic in the E.R., wasn't it? there was a lot to do, right?"

"Yes Sir!"

"I see... maybe that's why you missed the admission of a young girl, with surgery and TC, lacking a medical insurance" he lifted his eyes from the papers staring hard at her through his glasses.

"Well... to tell you the truth I didn't miss it..." Santana stuttered, she was taking her time to come up with a convincing explanation.

"Oh good... so you have an explanation for everything that happened, right?" he demanded.

"The girl was dying, we activated the emergency procedure and we saved her life"

"Perfect Lopez, so everything is ok... but I want to know why, later on, you didn't write out the paperwork for this particular case"

"We-we didn't have time, Sir!"

"Who prescribed the post-op TC?"

"I did, Sir!"

"Before or after you knew the patient had no insurance?"

"After" She replied honestly.

The man took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Dr. Lopez, do you know how much a TC costs to this hospital?" He asked using all the remaining patience he had left.

"Yes"

"Ok, I appreciate your complete honesty, but now I ask myself..." He got up from the chair and started to yell "who's going to pay for all these medical bills! 2.000 dollars, Lopez! The hospital is at risk, we don't have any more funds left, and we give charity to people who - among other things - don't even want to be on this earth!" He was furious.

Santana remained silent.

"I can understand all of this if we were talking about a poor little boy... but all of this for a girl who doesn't even want to live? Let her go and may peace be with her!" he violently threw the papers on the desk.

Santana's blood ran cold hearing those words. Words aimed at Adrian, at little Adrian, Brittany's sister. That girl was no common person. That girl was inevitably a part of her life because Brittany had been and was too, even if she was too scared to admit it.

"I'll pay for everything!" She said unexpectedly without even realizing she was the one talking.

The man came up to her staring at her eyes.

"Why?" now he was intrigued.

"Because I know the patient, she's dear to me" it wasn't true at the moment but she decided it was the right thing to say to win him over.

"Oh... is she one of your relatives?" he immediately calmed down.

"No... but she is one of my dear friend's sister"

"Oh good... and this dear friend of yours can't pay for her sister's medical bills?"

Santana didn't know what to say... She knew next to nothing about Brittany, she didn't know why Adrian was that desperate to want to end it all, she didn't know why their parents weren't there... but she couldn't say any of that to her boss.

"No, they are having a bad time" she just improvised.

"Oh, good... it's impressive the love you have for your friends Lopez... So, can I charge everything to your account? Including future post admission bills?"

The brunette gulped troubled and immediately thought about Adam and how she was going to explain the new expenses on their account.

"Yes Sir" she whispered.

"Perfect! So that would be all Dr. Lopez, you can go rest... Give my regards to your father" the Chief walked her to the door.

"Of course and thank you for being so understanding" she said in the end.

"Don't mention it! Give my regards to your friend too, she is really lucky to have you!" He said right before closing the office's door.

"Fuck you, slimy money sucker!" then she ran down the hall.

XXX

She decided not to dwell on her friendly gesture consequences too much, she had some time to find the right explanation for Adam, maybe she would ask Quinn for hints. Right now she only wanted to be with Brittany. She called the elevator pressing nervously the button more than once.

She reached the floor where Adrian was admitted and she saw that the young girl was alone. She gave a quick glance to Brittany's sister who looked way better than when she arrived at the hospital. She then checked the blood pressure... thank God, transfusions were doing their job. She left the room promising herself to go back when she'll have a little bit of peace, when Adrian was going to be awake. Certainly Ashley and Brittany were still in her office with the I.V. and she smiled, finally, pleased with all the work done by her resident.

She quickly opened the door and saw the red-head seated on the bed looking helpless with the saline still in her hands.

"Spark, what happened? Where's Brittany?"

The resident burst into tears.

"I-I'm sorry, doc... I-I told her you would be incredibly angry if she didn't get the saline drip, but she didn't want to hear anything about it, she told me she really had to go and gave me this" she passed a note which Santana incredulously read in silence.

_"I'm sorry, I can't stay, I have to go. Thanks again for what you did. It's been wonderful to see you again"_

She red it twice and then looked at her sobbing resident who still sat on the bed with her head in her hands. It hurt Santana to see Ashley so sad, she must have been incredibly tired after the night spent keeping up with her without complaining and carrying out her orders to perfection. She joined her on the bed and she took the saline from her hands.

"Ashley, it doesn't matter"

The young doctor twirled around hearing her boss saying her name, maybe for the first time.

"Go home, you look very tired... I'll see you tomorrow!" Santana said sweetly.

"R-really?" Ashley asked surprised wiping away the tears.

The brunette nodded with a smile.

"Go... before I change my mind!"

The redhead jumped up from the bed "Ok... I'll see you tomorrow, then!" and with these few words she bolted out of the room.

Santana tiredly raised an arm to say goodbye to her student.

"The life of an resident is awful!" she then lay down on her back reopening the note Brittany had left her.

The blonde was gone again... and just like last time she had left a deep sense of loss in the Latina's heart. But this time there was Adrian. She was still in the hospital. Santana was hoping to see Brittany again.

"Britt..." She sighed looking at the note. Then she pressed it to her heart and drifted off in a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I called you a dozen of times but you never picked up the phone, you ok?"<p>

She had woken up after 6 hours of sleep, still in her office bed. She had seen all the missed calls from Adam and she immediately had called him.

"I'm sorry love, I was asleep and I put the phone on silent"

"I see... Everything's ok?" he asked.

"Yes, I just fell asleep in my office, it's been a crazy night!" She decided to say nothing else.

"Oh come on Santana, you really can't stay away from that hospital! Get out of that hell!" he pronounced clearly every single words with growing rage.

"I'm going to change right now and then I'll be out of here... You? How are you doing in the Big Apple?" She asked rubbing her temples feeling the beginning of an headache.

"Everything's perfect! Today I even received praise from my boss! See, all those nights I spent working paid me off in the end!" he was thrilled.

"Oh my God, it's incredible baby! I'm so happy for you!" She said bitterly, thinking about the fact that her boss, nearly tore her into pieces because of the mess she made last night.

"That's right, as soon as I'm back home we'll celebrate!"

"Adam..."

"Yes?"

"Do you miss me?" she asked all of a sudden.

"Of course! What kind of question is that? Otherwise why would I have called you insistently all that times?" He replied.

"No no, of course, you are right!" She was disappointed, she really hoped for a more passionate answer.

"Hey what's up?" he asked suspicious.

"Nothing... it's just... I really needed to hear it"

"Ok... I take your word for it. I have to go, I didn't even had lunch today! I'll call you later"

"Ok bye"

Santana disconnected the call. She could feel her eyes watering at the coldness she heard in her husband's voice.

"Fuck you Adam... why?" She sank her face into the pillow and burst out into tears.

Moving her hands she touched a piece of paper. She gripped it tightly remembering Brittany's note.

"Adrian!" She quickly got up from the bed drying her face.

She took a deep breath, washed her face in her bathroom and then left the office.

"Santana, what are you doing here? Didn't you work night shift?" one of her colleagues gaped at her. She still had her white coat on and at the moment she realized that she should have taken it off as to not attract her co-workers' attention.

"Yes Rick, I'm leaving. I just have to check on one last patient and the I'm off, relax!" she said passing on without stopping.

"No but... if you want to stay we have some emergency... since it looks like you can't stay away from this place!" He yelled at her amused.

"Fuck off!"

XXX

She found herself in front of the intensive care door and , relieved, she saw Adrian awake. Santana approached the nurse who was checking the girl's condition asking for some updates. The woman told her that Adrian had opened her eyes an hour ago, she still hadn't eat or drink anything and she still hadn't said a word.

Santana took a deep breath before entering the room to face the young girl. She didn't know what to say, she had never liked Psychiatry and she had never understood all the passion Quinn put into treating that kind of patient.

Adrian was laying motionless, with a lifeless expression on her face. Santana decided at first to check her medical records before trying anything. Then she lifted her eyes from the papers.

"Hi Adrian"

The girl didn't move in the least. The brunette got closer entering Adrian's line of vision.

"I'm one of the doctors who treated you last night, my name's Santana Lopez... do you remember me? I'm Brittany's high school friend" she said softly.

She noticed some kind of reactions from the blonde right after hers and Brittany's name were spoken, but then Adrian took a deep breath and turned her head to the other side.

Santana didn't give up and keep on talking.

"How are you?" she tried to ask without really expecting an answer.

"You should eat something, I'm sure you are incredibly hungry"

She touched her cold hand, no reaction whatsoever.

"You know, I remember you... you were 7 years old... I remember you adored Disney's cartoons and you watched them every day with Brittany, you knew _Finding Nemo_ by heart" she smiled at the memory.

"You were always so happy when I came to your house, you would always drag me to the couch and you'd make me watch cartoons with Britts and you. Your mom would always make fun of us. She liked to say you were stubborn just like Nemo, I was proud like Marlin and Brittany was Dory's reincarnation!" she burst into laughter only to realize Adrian started to tremble. Santana tightened her hold on the blonde's hand and she noticed silent tears streaming down Adrian's face.

"Brittany was here this morning, she made sure you were ok, I think she's going to be back shortly" She said it even if she didn't know when or even if Brittany would came back.

"You know... if you don't feel like talking right now it doesn't matter... you'll do it when you'll feel up to, but please Adrian, try to eat something. Your sister was so worried about you!"

"I really have to go but I'll see you soon, I promise " she dared to kiss her on her forehead. She saw Adrian closing her eyes at the touch and keeping them shut till she was out of the room.

"I need to ask you a huge favor" she approached the nurse again .

"What can I do for you, Dr. Lopez?"

"Can you call my pager as soon as her sister is here? If I'm not at the hospital, I'll come right away, it's really important... can you inform your coworkers too, please?" she said begging.

"Of course, Dr. Lopez, don't worry" the woman replied gently.

XXX

Santana quickly walked away from that ward and ran to her office. She changed her clothes and got out of the hospital. She needed some air. She got home within a few minutes driving absent-mindedly. Last night had been terrible. Seeing Brittany again after all this time had affected her deeply. She couldn't understand anything, she was so confused, everything that happened was driving her crazy. All of a sudden she was panicking and she couldn't breathe. Tears began running down her cheeks, she couldn't stop them. She needed help, she couldn't bear all this burden by herself. She grabbed the phone and made a call.

"Lopez, sweety " Quinn answered happyly but immediately froze hearing the sobbing at the other end of the phone. "Santana, what happened?"

"Q-Quinn... please... I need... I-I need you... please" she couldn't even speak.

"Where are you darling?"

"H-Home"

"I'm coming, ten minutes and I'm there, San" Quinn ended the call and immediately raced out of the door.


	3. The Truth part I

"Brittany, what are you doing here? Where's Adrian?" a tall man with long hair tied back into a ponytail asked her. He held a notepad in his hands.

"She isn't feeling well Charlie, I'll cover for her" Brittany replied washing the last food supplies. She worked in the "King George" coffee shop. The shop was a particularly popular 24/7 in the suburbs of Lima - especially among the truck drivers on their way to Cleveland.

"Ah ok... but you already work the afternoon shift, just make sure you cover for yours too!" the man said heading back to the kitchen.

"Don't worry!" she ran a hand over her face brushing aside an annoying lock of hair, while she continued to dry the cutlery.

She was exhausted. She hadn't eaten anything since the previous day and she could feel her strength failing her, but she had to hold on, she couldn't lose her job and least of all she couldn't make Adrian lose hers. Her sister would be back in shape in no time, she was sure of that. Adrian could make it, she was sure of it!

She needed to see her, to see her eyes again. She knew her sister had been sad lately but she hadn't thought she would do something like that. Brittany had always been too worried about everything else to see that her sister was dying inside.

Then she thought about Santana... she hadn't changed much, she still was incredibly beautiful and she still had that charm that in their high school days used to make her crazy. She smiled at the thought.

"Ah Brittany... you have to clean the bathroom, some asshole threw up on the floor last night" Charlie peered out of the kitchen.

"Why Susan didn't clean it? She worked the night shift yesterday" she asked.

"How should I know it? Anyway the bathroom is still dirty and now you are here so take a deep breath and dive in that shit, darling!" he grinned mocking her.

Brittany whirled around more disgusted at her boss' behavior than at the thought of what was waiting for her in the bathroom.

She looked at her right and she found her co-worker watching her with pity, while sweeping the bar floor.

"Do you need a hand?"

Brittany smiled at her "Don't worry, I'll manage it" she then flexed her arm, showing her biceps as a sign of strength.

The girl chuckled.

"Sarah! Sarah! Come here, right now!" a yell came from the kitchen.

The young waitress put a hand before her mouth, making an odd face of feigned terror. She then headed for the kitchen, walking on tiptoe like a dancer and shouting "I'm coming!"

Brittany laughed, shaking her head, at her friend's foolishness.

XXX

She thanked her empty stomach which gave her the strength to not faint or throw up while cleaning the bathroom. Happy with her work, she went back to the bar serving a coffee to a customer. She then decided to reward herself for the effort stealing a muffin from the dessert window. She ate it in a heartbeat trying to not get caught by Charlie.

XXX

"Can I have a cigarette?" Brittany asked Sarah. The girl was smoking on her 30 minutes break, observing the skyline thoughtfully.

"mmm… Do you know there's a shop just at the end of the street where you live?" she handed Brittany a cigarette chuckling.

"I don't need it, I have you!" the blonde shrugged smiling.

"What happened to Adrian?" Sarah asked then after a bit.

"She tried to kill herself last night" Brittany said flatly.

"What?" she turned to the blonde shocked. Brittany was staring back at her blankly.

"Damn it Brittany, I told you she looked strange lately"

"I didn't think your '_she seems strange' _meant '_I'm so desperate I don't want to live anymore'_!" She said with tears in her eyes.

"We don't see each other anymore, when I'm not here I'm doing the housework for Ms. Ripley, how could I have known that my sister was sinking into the abyss!" she kept talking wiping away the few stubborn tears that ran unstoppable down her cheeks.

Sarah put an hand on Brittany's shoulder resting her head on it.

"I'm so sorry Britt... I bet you're not going to say anything to Charlie, are you?"

"Are you crazy? I'll work both of our shifts. I'll just tell him Adrian caught a really bad flu" she said obviously like she had already thought of everything.

"And what are you going to do with Ms. Ripley's housework?"

"I don't know... I'll go to her in my spare time"

"So, at night?" Sarah mocked her.

"Why not?" Brittany winked at her friend.

"You are completely crazy!" Sarah shook her head.

"You still didn't know that? You should have met me during high school, I really was capital-C crazy back then!"

Brittany nudged her gently with her shoulder while she took one last drag at the cigarette and then she threw away the stub.

"I have to ask you a favor" she said after a bit.

Sarah nodded waiting.

"Could you cover for me for an hour? I need to go to the hospital to see Adrian. If I'll go at the end of the shift they surely wouldn't let me in"

"Ok... but if Charlie catches me you'll have to tell everything to Jeff"

"I'll just do him a favor and help him out of a fix: you! At last, we'll just dedicate ourselves to our secret relationship" she replied amused.

"Idiot! Jeff's mine!" Sarah pouted.

Brittany walked towards her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you!" she said looking her straight in the eye.

The other girl nodded smiling, saying no more.

* * *

><p>Santana was laying on her bed in Quinn's lap while the blonde was caressing her hair. The brunette couldn't stop crying. The blonde knew that Santana was a proud woman and cried rarely, but when she did, she did it thoroughly. Santana had told her everything that happened in full spate, and Quinn had remained silent, listening to her friend and caressing her face. She didn't know if that meeting would be good for the brunette, more so considering that Santana was going through a crisis with Adam. But she decided it wasn't the time to tell her all her reasoning, at the moment she only needed to listen to her and to give her some sort of comfort.<p>

"Why am I so shattered, Quinn?" Santana asked suddenly.

"I don't know, sweetheart" she tried to reply still knowing her friend needed something more.

"What did you feel when you saw her?" the blonde asked.

Santana thought hard about it... she didn't know how to describe that meeting. It wasn't easy, because even she didn't know what she felt then. She only knew that the last twelve years had vanished into thin air before Brittany's blue eyes - even if extremely sad - they were just the same.

"Remember when you knead the pizza's dough… You divide it into balls and you put them under a blanket to leave the dough to rise?" Santana asked suddenly beaming.

The blonde nodded making a face at her friend's sentence.

"When, after some time, you uncover the dough to control the leaven, the balls swell up and it seems like they are breathing..." she looked at Quinn to see if her friend was following her reasoning.

"Well, that's what my heart did... it swelled at her sight and it was like it went back beating regularly after an infinity of time when the heartbeat was dulled under that blanket" Santana finished the metaphor with tears in her eyes. She really thought that, even if it was stupid, that example conveyed her feelings perfectly.

The blonde was moved by the sweetness of her friend's words. Santana had always been a cold and extremely direct person, but Quinn knew that, as for love, the brunette knew how to use words that could touch you deeply.

"Oh honey!" she said gently caressing her face.

She decided nevertheless to be sincere. She pulled her up and she fixed up her hair brushing them out of her eyes so she could look her straight in the eyes.

"Listen San, we don't know who Brittany is right now, you don't know anything about her... I don't want you to live in a fantasy world. It's been twelve years! Anyway, all these feelings could be just a reaction of the fact that you haven't seen her in so many years, nothing else" she stared surely at Santana while the brunette averted her eyes from her friend's gaze.

" Your separation hurt you so much, San. I was there, I saw how devastated you were, but you pulled yourself together and you took your life back into your hands... I'm so proud of you!" she then grabbed her shoulders shaking her a little, hoping to wake her up from her Brittany's dream.

"I don't want you to suffer again, Santana! I don't want you to throw away everything you hard-earned just because you spent a few minutes with her!" She spoke with all the honesty she had. Quinn knew she was just hurting the brunette more, but she couldn't help it, she had to warn her because she loved her so much.

Santana turned her face wiping away her eyes. She then took a deep breath.

"You are right!" the blonde sighed with relief at the words.

"But I need to talk to her. I need to know what happened to Adrian. I need to know how she lived all these years... she's my friend, Quinn... you can't stop me from doing that!" she spoke with passion.

" If she wants to..." Quinn said making Santana freeze.

"Come on, you really think she would run from the hospital if she truly wanted to make up for your lost relationship?" the blonde's words were cutting and incisive. Quinn knew that but it was the only way to make the brunette reason. Because, at the moment, Santana was completely lost in the wonderful memory of the teenager sweet Brittany she was madly in love with. But after twelve years, Brittany Pierce couldn't be the same, even with all her strange ways.

"There's more to this than meets the eye, I know it, Quinn! That hug was worth a thousand words!" Santana replied "This is why I have to talk to her, I need to do that!" she hold her friend's hand tightly hoping Quinn would understand.

"Ok... ok" the blonde saw Santana wouldn't calm down so she gently changed topic "Now, can we please get up? Could you make me a decent cup of tea?"

The brunette nodded and stood up.

XXX

"And... tomorrow we have poker night, don't forget it!" Quinn remembered her.

"How could I? I can't wait to make them suffer!" Santana tried a relieved smile. Quinn begin to relax at her friend's effort.

Suddenly the brunette's pager went off and Santana lost a beat. She quickly grabbed it to read the message.

"She's with Adrian... I have to run if I want to talk to her" she exclaimed dropping everything she had in her hands.

Quinn grabbed her by the arm "Wait, I'll come with you!"

"No Quinn, this time I have to do it alone!" she let go of Quinn and, taking the car's key, she flew out leaving the unmoving blonde behind.

* * *

><p>She drove fast towards the hospital. She was upset, she still had no idea what to say to her. She didn't even know if Brittany wanted to talk to her. She kept repeating herself to calm down and not get too worked up.<p>

She made a beeline to the intensive care, hoping to not miss her again. She ran to Adrian's room and she saw with relief that Brittany was there with her sister. The blonde was sitting with her back to the door. Santana froze on the spot and quickly went back a little to just watch her for a while. She tried to breathe but it was difficult, her heart was about to explode.

"Dr. Lopez!" Santana nearly fainted for the scare.

The brunette turned around and saw a nurse smiling at her having seen her face. Santana signaled to lower the voice.

"I see you got my call... She arrived 20 minutes ago" the woman said.

"Yes thank you!" she looked back to Brittany. Then she addressed the nurse "How's the patient?"

"She still doesn't talk... Dr. Preston requested a psychiatric evaluation for tomorrow morning"

Santana nodded glad she had the morning shift so she could talk to both Preston and the Psychiatrist.

"Did she eat something?" she asked then.

The nurse shook her head sad.

"Ok, thank you for everything" she smiled grateful at the woman.

She continued watching for a few minutes, she didn't want to go in and risk scaring the patient: Adrian would be even more upset if she and her sister were to talk inside her room. She waited outside as Brittany got up from the chair, reached out to her little sister wrapping her up in a warm embrace. But it was like Brittany was hugging a doll, because Adrian didn't hug her back. The older sister then showered the younger's face and head with dozen of kisses. Santana felt her heart break at the sight.

Brittany left the room drying her eyes puffy from tears and nearly collided with the brunette.

"Santana?" she was surprised to see her friend with her arms crossed looking at her seriously.

"What are you doing here?" she asked her.

"I work here!" she replied fighting the urge to hug the blonde after seeing her glassy blue eyes.

For the first time after God know how long Brittany laughed and Santana felt her heart jump.

"But as far as I know you don't live here... your shift ended last night and you were here this morning... and, anyways, you are not wearing your white coat!"

With those few sentences Santana recognized her Britt's startling remarks and she rejoiced for a few seconds.

"It's not important..." she said looking for a slight justification "this morning you didn't have the I.V. and you ran away without waiting for me"

"I had to work, I was terribly late" the blonde replied.

"You weren't feeling good, you could have called in and rest a little bit or at least stay with your sister" Santana suddenly thought the last part of the sentence to be a little too rash.

Brittany passionately shook her head, glancing away. Then she started walking past the brunette.

"You don't understand..." the blonde said.

"You are right, I don't understand but I want to, Brittany... I would really like if you would explain it to me"

The blonde stopped.

"Why Santana?" she faced her furiously with eyes focused on her high school friend.

The brunette froze, she had never seen that kind of anger on Brittany's face. But she was able to recover in time.

"Because, yesterday, your sister was dying by her choice! And because if I hadn't paid out of my own pocket for her medical bills, she surely would have already been moved to some remote shelter, among other people more desperate than her!" she blurted everything in one breath.

Santana knew it was absurd to hold against Brittany what she freely did for Adrian, but it had been the only thing that came to her mind to make Brittany listen to her.

"I'll pay you back, everything!" the blonde answered.

"I don't care! I don't want my money back... I just want to talk to you! I need to know what happened, I need to know what you did in these 12 years... You owe me at least that!" she nearly yelled and she knew she was about to burst into tears.

"I owe you nothing!" that confident gaze lasted just for a few second.

They looked into each other's eyes, letting them do the talking on their own.

"Listen, now I really have to go. I live far from here, it takes me forever with the subway and I really must go to work!" Brittany snapped and then she immediately regretted being so harsh.

"I'll drive you, I have a car" Santana got a glimmer of hope at her own words.

"You never give up, don't you? You haven't changed at all, San!" the blonde smiled softly at her.

"You did, instead!" the brunette replied naturally only to kick herself after seeing Brittany's eyes becoming sad.

"Come on" she walked past her leading the way.

XXX

They were in the car for some minute but, save for Brittany's home address set in the navigator, there was only silence.

Neither girl knew how or where to begin. Santana wanted to ask a thousand things: first of all why, a year after their separation, she stopped answering her mails and her desperate phone calls and why she ended their relationship with that disarming letter asking her to stop searching for her, because she would have moved to another city and even changed her phone number if necessary.

"How long have you been married?" the blonde broke the silence.

"W-what? H-how do you know it?" she panicked feeling a perfect idiot when she noticed Brittany's steady gaze on her wedding ring.

"Nearly three years" she replied awkward.

"Man or woman?" it was a fair question and not only because by now same-sex marriage had been legalized in every single state.

"Man" Santana retorted without the courage to look into Brittany's eyes.

"Oh..." the blonde let the word slip with an amused smile.

"It's a long story"

"I have no doubts"

"Besides you have no right to judge me!" she was getting worked up at Brittany's behavior.

The blonde nodded fiercely "You are right!" still grinning.

"Take that annoying smile off your face... why are you laughing?" she snapped, she didn't like to be fooled.

"Because I'm happy to see you and talk to you!" the blonde looked Santana in the eye smiling without fear.

She caught the brunette off guard so much that Santana's foot slipped out the accelerator and the car skidded for a few second.

The navigator spoke up through the silence "_25 Mountain High Street – Lima, 15 minutes and 30 seconds... storing the itinerary?"_

"Yes!" Santana said sure.

"_Itinerary stored" _the mechanic voice ended the conversation.

After that sentence she found the courage to look at Brittany, she smiled and said "I'm happy too"

XXX

They got out of the car and Santana found herself in front of a beautiful two floor house with a garden. She was surprised.

"Do you live here?" she asked while her gaze traveled over the house.

"Kind of" Brittany replied inserting the key in the wicket lock "Would you like to come in?" she made a gesture with her arm making way for Santana.

The doctor walked past the wicket, where there was an incredibly neat garden. Brittany went in right after her and immediately was crushed by a big dog that, wagging his tail, greeted her happily.

"Hey Will!" the blonde bent over to stroke him while the dog was already laying on his back waiting for her cuddle.

"Santana meet Mr. Willy Wonka Pierce! Will for short!" the brunette was looking at them laughing at the dog's name.

Santana nodded slightly and bent over to pet him even she wasn't particularly fond of animals. Brittany remembered it clearly, even with Lord Tubbington Santana has never been affectionate, and that was why she appreciated her gesture even more.

"It was him... he saved Adrian, you know? He barked so loud he drew the neighbors' attention. They found her close to death." Santana saw Brittany desperately trying to choke back tears.

"He's a very smart dog... look!" she said trying to take her mind off that painful thought.

Brittany stood up and stared at the dog who was quietly looking at her owner still wagging his tail.

"Willy Wonka you are an ass and you are going to pay with your life!" she yelled. Then she pretended with her hand to draw a gun on him screaming "_BANG!"._ She blew off her two fingers while the dog, with perfect timing, pretended to die falling on the ground motionless.

Santana's eyes were wide open, she has never seen something like that. Brittany looked at her proud and pleased with the sketch.

She then broke into cheer encouraging Santana to do the same as if, without that reward, her dog wouldn't get up.

"Well done, Will! Come here my boy!" she crouched at his height and took out something from her bag.

Santana noticed there were some leftover chicken wrapped in an aluminum foil.

"You are hungry, right? My old mad hatter!" she stroked his fur while he ate.

At that very minute, the brunette seemed to see her Britt again and those flashbacks comforted her incredibly.

XXX

"Come on!"

The brunette was about to climb the stairs leading to the big door of that beautiful house when she saw Brittany taking the long way to the back of the house. She followed her and they stopped in front of the back door. They went down the stairs and then Brittany opened another door. There was a big room with two bed, a little closet and a camp stove.

Brittany lived in a basement.

Santana tried to get used to the darkness with the only light coming from the high-placed window grid corresponding to the low ground.

She turned to the bed and her eyes burst open seeing it still unmade, bloodstained and with medicine bottles scattered all around. She froze, thinking that it was where Adrian had spent the last hour before the run to the hospital.

The blonde noticed the bed condition way after Santana. She stepped closer to the bed and leaned down on her knees to pick up the bottle putting back in all the pills. Then she grabbed the stained sheet and quickly crumpled them up trying to hide the deep red stains that in spite of all remained evident.

"I'm-I'm sorry... I still haven't come home after..." she paused and broke down into desperate tears, tightening the bed sheet to her chest.

Without thinking twice, Santana closed the distance between them and knelt down taking away the sheet from her hands.

"It doesn't matter Britt... Don't worry about it!" she said leaning over to embrace her. The blonde moved away keeping her arms tight to her chest.

Santana was frightened by that reaction and she looked at her scared.

"I shouldn't... I shouldn't let you come here... It was a mistake... I'm sorry Santana... I-I really have to go now... I have to go to work" she said tying to dry her tear-stricken face for the umpteenth time.

The young doctor continued to stare at her, shaking her head. She felt the warm of the tears that were starting to run down her cheeks.

"No... No Britt, I'm not going away... I'm not leaving you alone... I'm not going to let you face all of this alone... this is... I don't even know how to call it!" she pointed at the room, but, in the end, she knew that was the lesser evil.

"I just found you again after 12 years... for years I wondered where you were, I didn't even know if you were still alive... I was simply terrified at the thought! Until I forced myself to forget you, it took me 5 years Brittany! Five fucking years in which I did nothing but thinking of you... Sometimes I couldn't even breathe for how much I missed you! And now you show up unexpectedly and you tell me to forget everything and go on with my life like nothing happened? Tell me Britt, how can I do it? And how can you? Because, really, now, I can't do it! I can't carry on like you do!"

She couldn't hold anything back anymore, she poured out all that was deep in her soul at that moment, tightening the arms around her chest as if to protect herself, while the blonde stared at her listening. She couldn't even control the tears. She put a hand on her temple, she was so exhausted by the situation.

"Right now the only thing I want is... I really want you to hold me! I really would like for you to hold me tightly and say that everything is going to be ok... because I'm about to fall apart, seriously!" she was already desperately sobbing, shutting her eyes tightly. She knew she wasn't the one in need of comfort, but she felt Brittany was a lot stronger than her at that moment, at least concerning their relationship. She took a deep breath when she felt two slender arms wrapping themselves around her waist. When she felt Brittany's body warmth, she let herself fall apart in that embrace and cried more freely.

Brittany couldn't hold back anymore seeing Santana broken like that. She felt guilty, guilty for thousand of things so she dropped her defenses and let herself gather against her the body she had missed so much in all those years.

They huddled together for several minutes. Then they loosened the embrace reluctantly only when they realized they were wetting their clothes with tears and they couldn't breathe anymore.

They gazed into each other's eyes, without saying anything for a long time, while they held each other's hands. Santana couldn't resist and she threw herself into Britt's arms again. The blonde couldn't wish for anything more and she sank her face in those raven hair she had always adored.

They pulled back for a second time and kept looking into each other's eyes, this time without any fear or shyness. All those embraces seemed to make them forget all the time they had spent without the other.

"I swear I would love to stay here with you and tell you everything but I really have to go upstairs, to Ms. Ripley, I work there too in addition to the coffee shop shifts, and she's waiting for me" Brittany said sadly.

"Ok I'll wait here till you finish"

"Santana..." she gave her a serious look, while she still played around with the brunette's fingers.

"I'll wait here for you, Britt!" Santana said confident.

"It could take a few hours, don't you have a husband to go back to?" she challenged.

"I don't care how long it takes, I have all the time you need, so I'll wait here till you come back!"

"Ok... the room isn't cozy, I don't even have a TV, I'm sorry... but there are some magazine, they are Adrian's if you want to take a look while you wait" the blonde said.

"Ok, thank you!"

"Ok... so I'll go... I'll be upstairs if you need anything, but only if it's necessary because Ms. Ripley wouldn't be happy knowing there's a stranger in her basement" she quickly said while heading for the door.

"Ok... Britt?" Santana made the blonde turn around.

"You'll tell me everything, right?" she asked taking her hand.

"Are you sure you want to know everything?" the blonde answered tightening their hold.

"I've never been more sure than at this moment" she smiled reassuring her.

"Ok... so I'll tell you everything, San!" Brittany planted a kiss on her forehead and then ran away.


	4. The Truth part II

Brittany was out of the room just for a few minutes, closing the door behind her back. In that precise moment, Santana realized everything that happened in the past hour. She sat down on a chair near the table and thought on the fact that in less than 24 hours she had been going crazy... her heart was racing so unimaginably fast, she searched for the pulse on her wrist and, counting the beats, she realized they were accelerated.

It was like she wasn't aware of her body or her actions.

It was like the person she had just met had completely taken control over her body, mind and soul.

She got up from the chair trying to take her mind off things because all the thoughts and the anxiety of seeing and talking again with Brittany were wearing her out.

She decided to look around the room trying to gather something on the life of the woman who had been her only life reason when she was young.

She saw a little closet with a mirror next to it. The thing that struck her the most was that there were no photos, just some drawings without a frame. She stepped closer to look at them, she peered in particularly at one representing the Tour Eiffel and at the bottom of it she recognized Adrian's signature. It was an incredible picture, very detailed, but what struck Santana the most was the crayons painting of two women - one older with her arms around the younger - that blended together in one embrace. She realized that the older woman looked very much like what she remembered of Brittany's mother, and the little girl surely was her Britt because of the light blonde hair – Adrian's were darker than her sister's.

She thought of Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, where were they? Were they still in Paris? Or where they back in the States too? She repeated herself it was no use asking herself so many questions with no answers. To keep her mind off things she began tidying up the room. She picked up the bloody sheet and she put them in the bath, she then opened the warm water hoping to wash out the stains of that tragedy. She did the same to the mattress, subsequently putting it outdoor to dry. She completely tidied up the room, it was the only way to spend some time without getting too anxious.

She heard her cell phone ringing.

"Hey!" she tried hard to be as spontaneous and cheerful as ever.

"Hey, were you having dinner?" Adam seemed very relaxed.

"No, not yet baby. I just came home…" she was lying and she didn't know why.

"Ah... and where have you been?"

"I took a walk with Quinn" she felt sick telling him that.

"Good, at least you got some air, after being in that hospital" he said pleased.

"How are you?" she tried to change topic.

"I'm really good! I talked to the company who ordered the advertisement and they were extremely satisfied with my work. They are taking me to dinner!"

"Oh that's wonderful! I'm happy for you, Adam"

"And after that we are going to a strip club..." he joked.

"Adam! Don't you dare!" she yelled amused.

"Ahahahahah ok, I give up, but only if you promise me you'll do one for me when I'm back"

"mmmmm we'll see... only if you are a good boy!" she replied slyly.

"But I'm always a good boy!"

A voice in the distance called him.

"Baby, they are calling me. I'll call you tomorrow after your morning shift, ok?" he quickly said.

"Ok" the brunette replied.

"I miss you Santana" he caught her off guard with his parting words.

"M-me too" she stuttered happily closing the call.

XXX

Right after she ended the call, Brittany came in with Will who immediately went to curl into the spot the blonde had prepared just for him next to the bed. Santana saw that she was exhausted: she had hollow eyes and she was heavily dragging her legs trying to walk rightly.

"Hi Doctor Lopez!" she said giggling at her own words.

"Hey!" the brunette was caught off guard by the smile that, despite her tiredness, was still incredibly radiant.

"God... I still can't believe you are a doctor, who would have thought?"

"Why?" Santana asked curious.

"Because in high school you weren't very concerned about taking care of others!"

"Because I was focused on taking care of only one person!" she replied quickly without thinking. The blonde immediately froze at the words.

"I know... Listen, do you mind if I take a shower? I need to wash away some tiredness... and I smell awful!" she moved the head closer to her armpit making a disgusted face. Santana burst into laughter.

"Of course, knock yourself out!" she said.

Brittany belted to the bathroom while Santana took her phone out and decided to make a call.

"Pizza Lima Express, the best pizza in town, just the way you like it and where you like it!" a voice spoke out from the other side.

"Stop acting so professional and don't lie! Last time you were 10 minutes late and the pizza was cold!" the brunette said smirking.

"That's why you didn't pay for it! It's our policy: if it's late you don't pay... What do you want, Latin bitch?"

"First of all, I want to know why the owner of one of the biggest Lima chains of pizza service still continues to answer the phone and to take client's orders, when he has a hundred of employees... You are not a kid anymore, Puckerman!" she scolded him.

"I do it once in a while, just to hear some sweet women voices like yours, sugar!"

"All right, forget about it... Listen, I need two pizzas in Mountain High Street area, do you have a branch near?"

"What kind of question is that, love? You should know that Pizza Express has a branch in every Lima district... Efficiency and rapidity are our strong points!"

"Spare me the slogan, Mohican! Ok, I need two pizzas as soon as possible: a puckzilla for me and one pepperoni" She hoped that at least Brittany's tastes were the same.

"Eheheheheh the puckzilla rocks! Everybody wants it! Did you and Adam move without telling me?"

Santana froze, she didn't want to tell Puck that she was with Brittany, she didn't even know if the blonde would be happy with her sharing the information.

"N-no no... I'm with a friend... bring us two beers too!"

"Ok, the beers are on the house!" she heard Puck typing the order in the computer.

"Oh, that's very kind of you..." she said ironic.

"Ok, so I'll wait for the bluetooth coordinates... Delivery expected in 10 minutes and 40 seconds and remember: if we are more than 3 minutes late, you don't pay, it's a service only offered by Lima Express!" Puck spoke in a pitched voice.

"You are an idiot!" the brunette replied laughing.

"Bye love! Why don't we meet up in some private room in cardiology?" he asked.

"I work in the E.R., Puckerman!"

"Well, it's the same"

Santana ended the call shaking her head thinking about Puck. His friend hadn't changed at all since high school, he was still the same horny teenager, even if he managed to built a profitable business – Lima Express was one of the most productive company of the city.

XXX

Brittany walked out of the bathroom with wet air and just a towel wrapped around her. Santana swallowed at the sight. Brittany was obviously thinner then she remembered but her body was still perfect. The brunette's eyes widened in surprise when she saw some tattoos spread on the blonde skin that make Brittany's body even more sexier if possible.

The blonde gave her a warm smile and Santana felt compelled to answer with one of her own. Brittany then overlooked the tiny room and noticed the changes.

"Oh God, did you tidy up my room? You didn't have to, Santana!" she said annoyed while she ran one hand through her hair and with the other she hold the towel in place.

The brunette stared at Brittany's every single little movement, she was captivated, nearly mesmerized.

"I was bored!" she shrugged making excuses and desperately trying to dismiss everything she felt seeing Brittany like that.

The dancer headed to the closet at the end of the room, to search for some clean clothes. She let go of the towel and began dressing. Santana immediately blushed deeply and she awkwardly turned her face the other side.

Brittany clucked softly "Seriously? We slept with each other, you have seen me naked thousands of times!"

Santana had trouble breathing and at the moment it wasn't ok to turn around and look at her "It doesn't feel right" she babbled.

"Ok, now you can turn around, I'm more dressed than a nun" the blonde joked.

Santana turned around laughing and saw Brittany taking a box and putting it in the microwave.

"Are you hungry? Would you like some vegetable pie? I made it for Ms. Ripley and I took some with me"

"I ordered two pizzas, they'll be here in two minutes" the brunette said looking at her watch.

"Really?" Brittany turned around looking at her.

Santana nodded "I thought you would like it and you would be hungry..."

The blonde turned off the oven clearly annoyed "Well... I should have known! You think of everything as always!"

Santana's eyes widened in shock. She didn't expect that kind of reply, she just wanted to do something nice, but obviously it only made Brittany even more uncomfortable.

"Puckerman has a very big pizza branch scattered all over Lima, they are incredibly quick, you know?" she tried to compensate with that information.

"Wow... I'm happy Puck made it!" the blonde replied.

A text arrived on Santana's phone.

"Here they are, I'll go get them" she took advantage of the delivery to escape that strained situation.

Brittany sat down, putting a hand on her forehead. She was so tired. She wasn't sure it had been a good idea to make the brunette wait for her. She didn't know if she could go through all the emotions telling Santana about her past. It would be like reopening some old wounds she was desperately trying to close, keeping herself busy so to not think about it. But maybe Santana was right, Brittany owed her at least that... she owed her some explanations.

XXX

Santana came back smiling widely with two box of pizza and two beers in hands.

"Wait, I'll help you!" the blonde stepped towards her. That closer eye contact made them freeze for a few seconds. Brittany felt nearly sick looking again into the depth of Santana's brown eyes and watching those full lips parting softly in surprise.

"I'm sorry for what happened before..." she said.

"It doesn't matter" the brunette replied relieved "and now let's eat! I'm starving!"

Brittany nodded while Santana handed her the pizza. She opened the box and her eyes filled with wonder: pepperoni! She lifted her head locking eyes with the brunette's beautiful gaze.

"Is it still your favorite?" Santana asked.

The blonde nodded happy for a moment, then her eyes widened in shock seeing the brunette's pizza.

"Oh God, what's in it?"

"Ahahahahah, it's the _Puckzilla_, an invention of that brain-damaged guy, there's every possible vegetable in it!" Santana replied proud, watching Brittany's amazed and hungry look.

"Do you want to go halves?" Santana asked.

"Really?" the blonde was surprised.

"Of course!"

They divided in two the pizzas and exchanged them. Brittany had already eaten her half and Santana thought the blonde really had loved Puck's invention. The brunette had eaten only half because she stopped repeatedly to look at Britt: she hadn't changed a bit, she always ate fast, more so when she was extremely hungry.

"Are you going to eat that?" Brittany asked looking at the slices in Santana's box.

"No... I don't feel like it, I'm full!" she said amused, knowing already what would happen.

"I'll do it!" she grabbed the slices from the brunette's box after winking at her and started eating them making Santana laugh.

XXX

After dinner they sat next to each other on Brittany's bed, back against the wall, sipping their beers.

Santana felt like the time had stopped. Their silence wasn't awkward at all. It was so they could tune in again between each other. They were beginning to listen to their breaths again.

"I was angry with you, Santana" Brittany thought it was time.

At the words the brunette frowned and turned around to look at her puzzled.

"W-what?" she asked.

The blonde continued staring into space.

"I was angry with you because you had lied to me" Brittany spoke bitterly.

Santana was shaken, she didn't understand but she decided to let Brittany talk without interrupting her.

"You had me keep on living in my very own world, with my beliefs, my childish fantasies... I think you were a sort of protector and maybe you felt like nodding and not telling me the truth facing my continuing delusions was the only way to protect me from the brutality of the world you knew so well"

She then turned around to face the brunette.

"But it wasn't like that. Unintentionally your loving me so much condemned me, Santana! Probably to love someone means telling the truth too. I left for Paris devastated by our separation, I couldn't live without you and even hearing from you over and over during the day wasn't enough. I had to follow my family in France because my father asked me to, between tears, after he knew about the transfer at work."

Brittany continued staring into the distance while Santana, next to her, suck in a slow breath.

"Do you remember I got in that dance academy in Paris?" she looked at her to see if the brunette remembered, and she watched her nodding.

"It was a nightmare! I was going to do what I loved the most in the world, I only wanted to dance, I wanted to make you proud while you were studying at Yale with Quinn, I dreamed of a life together..." she stopped for a moment and took a deep breath "Instead I was in hell! Everybody laughed at me, they called me _the crazy American_ because of my rambling speeches and because I still believed in odd magical creatures. At the beginning I stood up for my beliefs saying that my girlfriend in Lima knew everything and could confirm everything. After some time, when the moral abuse became physical too, I stopped fighting. Knowing I was afraid of the dark, they locked me up in the closet, time and time again, and they molested me repeatedly."

Santana shuddered at the blonde last sentence.

"It was like diving into frozen water. I grew up all of a sudden and I began to see the world for what it really was. I never told you anything because I loved you too much Santana. I saw how much you were hurting, I felt it through your words and I read it into your e-mails and texts. And I was slowly dying inside. As I realized how absurd was everything I thought existed and everything I dreamed about, I put all the blame on you because you never warned me against the world and you always got your hands dirty so I could be ok. But you weren't there, in that hell... You weren't there... You weren't with me!" she said angry " Maybe you never thought about that possibility, you never imagined that, for some sick twist of fate, we would have to be apart, even if I knew to be only for a few years, just like my dad made me believe."

Brittany took a deep breath before continuing her story.

"See... My parents, especially my father, even _they_ made a fool of me. Just a few days before I wrote you the letter to say goodbye once and for all, I discovered it had been my father to ask for the transfer, as far from Lima as possible and as far from you as possible, so that we couldn't be together anymore."

Santana's eyes widened in shock for the umpteenth time in few minutes.

"When I told them about us, even if not very happy, they seemed to be ok with it and I was so relieved. But then I found out they just pretended to be ok not to hurt me, and in secret they planned to make a fool of me again... Do you understand? They were willing to transfer so far away from their hometown just for me to be _normal_ again – like my father told me when he had that dreadful talk when he conveyed the news that we were never ever coming back to Lima, because I had to never see you again."

A lonely tear ran down Santana's cheek. Brittany immediately noticed and she smiled softly at her, with such a dignity that caught the brunette off guard.

"I think that was the last straw... After a shitty year spent suffering for thousands of things... I felt so alone and there was no one who could ever understand me... I missed you so much, it was like dying every single fuckin day, Santana" she turned around looking at her tenderly.

"So I decided to ran away. I fought with my father and I told him to forget he ever had a daughter. I wrote a letter to my mom and Adrian. Then I wrote that mail to you and I went on the road... Since that day, for ten long years, I traveled around Europe. I left my cell phone at home and took only the money I needed to leave Paris, a city I hated with everything that I was: I hated its people and I hated the air that everybody thinks to be romantic, when in reality it's just a lie!"

"W-why did you not come back to me? Why you didn't tell me anything, Brittany?"

Santana twirled around and took the blonde's hand desperate.

"Because I had to regain my life! I had to see how the world was and I wanted to be free... And I was still so angry with you..." Brittany looked at her ex-lover smiling trying to lighten the last heavy sentence. She then pulled back her hand from Santana's grasp and resumed her story.

"I lived on the streets for all those years. I traveled a lot. I have been to Spain – mostly Madrid and Barcelona – and then to Italy – Milan, Rome and Florence. I learned I could make a living from my talent, so I danced on the streets. At first without music, but then another homeless gave me a little stereo for my streets shows. In Madrid a woman gave me a puppy and since then Willy Wonka and I became inseparable." She turned around looking at her dog crouched down next to the bed who snapped his head back up after hearing his name.

"I met so many different people... For three years I joined a streets artists company and we shared so many incredible experiences... I saw so much pain and so many people that were lost just like me, that were searching for their way but they felt everyday more at loss. Willy and I are good, you know? We did some amazing shows back then and we earned a living... I learned many languages too. I learned to survive through the cold and the boiling hot weather of European summers... I could go on and on for hours telling you about my ten years around the world"

Brittany gazed at Santana with the enthusiasm she still felt for her past life experiences.

"But it's been hard spending Christmas and every holidays alone, or in some Help shelter, where there were lost people just like me. I felt a little at home with them, even if I missed my family so much. I stayed in touch with my mom and I made sure to call her at least once a month to let her know I was ok. We met two times when I was passing in Paris with the company and the last time I saw her Adrian was with her: she was so grown-up... I was scared"

Brittany searched Santana's face to see how she was feeling and she saw her gaze troubled by her story.

"It's not the end, are you going to make it?" she asked concerned.

The brunette nodded tentatively.

"A year ago I was in Berlin, working as a dishwasher in a bar, so I could earn some money to go visiting East Europe. I was fascinated by that area. But my goal was to reach Cina. I noticed some cops entering the bar, they were asking my boss for me. Instinctively I dropped everything and I flew through the window. It wasn't the first time I was arrested because I didn't have the residence permit or because of other little things. I broke into a run with Willy who had joined me sensing the danger. But one cop was able to catch me and, frightened he asked me to tell my dog to back off because he didn't want hurt me, he just wanted to talk to me. They took me to the station and they told me they were searching for me for more than a month... that my sister was searching for me because my parents had died in a car crash"

Santana couldn't hold it anymore "Oh my God, Brittany... no..." and burst into tears.

The blonde, with glassy eyes, took the brunette's hand and tightened her hold, as if Santana was the one in need of comfort and not the other way around.

Santana felt sick, she felt her heart becoming heavy and hard, she felt her soul being ripped off her chest. Every single words from Brittany was like a punch in the stomach. She had a hard time breathing, her sight became blurry and she could hear an annoying buzzing in her head. The blonde looked at her worried, silently asking for permission to go on with her story. Santana took a deep breath and, clutching Britt's hand, she nodded.

"That news destroyed me for the umpteenth time in my life, I was definitely dead inside. My parents had died for a month and I knew nothing of it. I never got the chance to say goodbye before their last journey. I never got the chance to hear my father's voice again, and more than anything else I never got the chance to ask my mother for forgiveness for all the pain I put her through. The French Embassy paid for my train ticket back to Paris, back to my sister. When I met Adrian, she was devastated. She clung to me for so long and, in that moment, I realized that I had missed my sister's whole life, I didn't know the girl I was holding in my arms. How did she live all those years while I wasn't there? Who did she talk to about her first crushes? Who protected her against life injustices? Who covered for her after some escapades? Who did advise her on what to wear for her first date? I had never been there with her, for her, yet she was hugging me!"

Brittany stopped because of the lump in her throat thinking about Adrian. She swallowed hard and took a sip of the beer.

"Since then I decided I had to take care of Adrian, because I was everything she had left. We sold our house in Paris to pay for our journey back home, back to USA, and to bring along our parents' caskets – they are now buried in Lima, in their home ground. This last year had been terribly difficult, especially for Adrian. I was used to a hard life with just a meal a day but she wasn't. For the first months we lived with the money left from the house sale. But after that we had to search for a job, we couldn't afford the rent of the house where we lived anymore. Then we met Ms. Ripley and she offered her basement in exchange of housework from time to time. All of this while Adrian was suffering and sank into the abyss. She always didn't talk much but I never thought she was feeling so badly for everything that happened".

Brittany wiped away the few tears that she couldn't choke back and turned to the brunette with a weak smile "That's all, more or less..." she finished.

Santana's eyes were lifeless. She had thousand questions going on through her mind, but she couldn't voice any of them. She lost it completely after she heard "Are you ok?" from Brittany, that even after everything she went through she was there worrying about her.

"Santana, please no..." Britt took the brunette in her arms while tears streamed down her face too.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... It's... It's all my fault!" she sobbed into the blonde's chest.

Brittany lifted Santana's face and brushed the hair away from her eyes.

"No... That's not true! In time I realized that yours was just too much love... It's not your fault!" she said sincerely.

"God... Just thinking about- about what you went through... While my main concerns, aside from the pain for your loss, were passing exams and being on top of my class through clenched teeth... I'm an idiot!"

Brittany smiled at the statement.

"You were always the strongest of the two. I've never had that kind of strength, I even had no balls to take a plane and come to Paris to bring you back home with me after that letter!" she went on angrily.

"Good thing that you didn't, because you wouldn't have found me and it would have been a wasted journey!" she looked at her smiling trying to lighten a little the moment.

"You did well to go on with your life, to become what you are now: you have a respectable job and a family".

Santana froze after that sentence. Brittany, in two words, brought her back down to earth all of a sudden. She made a family and started a new life without her. She had Adam, she had her job at the hospital, she had her friends. Her blood ran cold because Brittany weren't a part of that.

"Britt... I... I don't want to lose you, now that I have found you again. I don't want to lose you, please tell me we can be friends again, please tell me we can at least try"

"Santana... We have two completely different lives, we live in two separate worlds. Did you not see how screwed up am I? I don't know... I suppose we can stay in touch and maybe go out for a coffee once in a while..." Brittany spoke coolly because she wanted to protect her and protect herself too, even if, at the same time, she was incredibly happy to have found Santana again and she never wanted to be apart from her again.

"No... no... we can make it, I love you Brittany and I missed you so much it felt like dying... I can't let you go, not now that you need me. Believe me, I desperately need you too" she said with tears in her eyes that couldn't be stopped.

Brittany remembered exactly how stubborn her ex-girlfriend could be and, as she could see, Santana hadn't changed a bit. She decided to let things go on and see what would happened. Probably it would be life itself to decide, once again, for them, if separate them or let them be together.

"San... I'm very tired right now, tomorrow I have the 6 a.m. shift at the coffee shop"

"Same here, I have the 6 a.m. shift at the hospital" she said without letting go of Brittany.

"Good... I wonder why isn't your husband looking for you... Did he not see it's very late and you are not back home?" she asked.

"Adam's in New York, I'm alone these days" Santana uttered his name for the first time.

"Oh... I see..." Brittany nodded.

Suddenly it occurred to Santana she never called Quinn back after all those hours. She grabbed her phone and saw the display full of missed calls and messages, all from Quinn.

"Do you mind if I call Quinn to calm her down?" she sked Brittany.

"Quinn Fabray? Are you still in touch?" the blonde asked surprised.

"Yes... she was my maid of honor"

Brittany nodded and then said "Go ahead! The only place with some kind of privacy is the bathroom, sorry" she pointed at the room.

The brunette smiled "I'll be right back!"

XXX

She shut herself into the bathroom to make the call. Quinn was terribly angry, she tried to calm her down a little saying she couldn't stay a lot on the phone but she promised to call her again in the morning from the hospital, as soon as she'll have some free time. Quinn knew that, once in the E.R., Santana'll barely have time to breathe, so she told her she would come by in the morning to kidnap her for at least half an hour, no excuses whatsoever. The brunette ended the call with a grin on her lips, thinking that her friend was even more stubborn than her.

XXX

She walked out of the bathroom and saw Brittany cuddled up on the bed and already asleep. The blonde had to be exhausted and for sure telling her all her story added up to wear her out even more. She stepped closer to take a better look at her. It came to her mind all the countless nights she spent just gazing at her, while Brittany slept snuggled into her after they had made love or after the endless hours spent talking about her wanderings with stories about teddy bears and magical fairies. Santana thought Brittany was right, she was the stupid one who, because of her too much love, had protected her from the brutality of the world without thinking of the consequences. Her eyes traveled over every single details of Brittany's face and she felt like caressing her cheeks and more than anything else she felt like kissing her lips.

She was terrified by that thought. She couldn't fall in love with Brittany again, she couldn't dropped all her life for her. It was like her mind told her all those good things, but her heart swelled and raced unimaginably every time she gazed at Brittany's face sunken by the exhaustion, but still incredibly beautiful. It was like her heart was beating madly like that to catch her attention, to make her understand something... Santana knew she never heard it beating strongly like that.

She took her shoes off and, with a deep breath, she laid down on the bed next to Brittany. Her eyes fluttered close, she was trying to shut her brain off and feeling only her madly heartbeat. She then closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair, still damp from the shower.

"San, are you sleeping here with me tonight?" Brittany mumbled half asleep while she gripped the hand on her belly and entwined her fingers with Santana's. She then placed herself more comfortably in the warmth of the brunette's body.

"Of course... I'll stay... Everything's going to be ok, baby... Now just sleep"

Santana heard a deep sigh from the woman in her arms and she imagined the smile that surely came with it. Tears continued to run down her cheeks and Santana didn't know if they were sad or happy tears.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: I'm really really sorry for the delay. Life at the hospital has been hell these past few weeks. I just wanted to thank all of you for reading, adding the story into your favoritesalerts and commenting. **

**What do you think of Brittany's life?**

**Thank you all again!**


	5. Introducing her friends

She woke up feeling something wet on her face, like a delicate touch. She smiled sighing...

"mmmm Britt"

With eyes still closed, Santana reached out her hand to touch the face that was giving her all that little kisses.

She immediately felt something was wrong. She tried to investigate more deeply and, opening her eyes, she found a big black nose at her eye level.

"OH- MY- GOD- MYGODMYGOMYGOD!" Santana yelled bolting from the bed.

"What's happening?" Brittany rubbed her eyes while her dog tried to wake her up by stroking her cheek with his nose.

"He licked me, he licked me, shit! Gross! I feel sick!" she yelled still disgusted.

The blonde wasn't paying attention to Santana's crisis instead she focused on her dog.

"Hey Will, good morning!" she got up to let the dog out, while he happily tagged along looking at her wagging his tail.

"He just needed to go out to do his business" she grinned watching the brunette running to the bathroom to wash her face.

"Can't he bark like every other dogs do? Shit, it's disgusting!" Santana kept whining.

"Dogs don't bark when they need to go out"

"Didn't you teach him how to open the door?" she looked at her astonished.

"Mmmm we are working on it" Brittany replied unbelieving.

"San, I could be offended, you know? You mistook the dog licks for my kisses... I don't know if feeling insulted for it, or for the fact that you don't remember my sweet lady kisses anymore" she continued pouting.

Santana froze, she didn't think Brittany heard that.

"You were awake..." she murmured worried.

"I'm a light sleeper... it's not exactly safe sleeping on the streets" the blonde walked away leaving Santana motionless in front of the mirror.

XXX

They were running late. Santana offered to drive Brittany at work so she would be on time for her morning shift.

"But that way you'll be late" the blonde said when they were already in the car, ready to leave.

"It doesn't matter. I can afford being late. I don't have anybody checking on me, at most I'm the one giving orders" she said proudly.

Brittany smiled shyly feeling somewhat uncomfortable. The brunette realized it and decided to change the subject.

"Asì….. Hablas español?" Santana gazed quickly at her smiling.

"Claro!" Brittany replied.

Santana burst into laughter.

"You were hopeless at Mr. Shue class"

"I know... But it's different when you have no other option but to understand and being understood to survive" she replied.

"_325 S. Jameson Ave, Lima 10 minutes and 5 seconds... st__oring the itinerary?"_ the mechanic voice spoke up.

"Yes!" the latina replied.

"_Itinerary stored"_

Brittany grinned openly. Seeing Santana's puzzled look, she said "so now you have everything you need to stalk me!"

"I lost you once, I just want to be sure I'm not going to do it again" Santana joked.

They locked eyes for few seconds in silence, then Brittany took a deep breath and said "It's late, Charlie's going to kill me"

She opened the door at Santana's nod.

"Are you going to visit Adrian today?" Santana asked then.

"Yes... I'm doing her shift this morning. I hope to be at the hospital in the afternoon - if they let me in. Then I have my shift till 23" Brittany told her.

"Ok... As for Adrian don't worry, I'll tell the nurse to let you pass whenever you arrive"

"Thank you, Doctor Lopez!" she waved with her hand amused.

"You are welcome!" she returned the look only to notice that Brittany was already out of her sight. She then took fright at somebody knocking on her side window.

Santana pulled it down smiling. Brittany leaned in and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. Santana blushed unexpectedly.

"Thank you..." the blonde said gazing deeply into her eyes "It's just to make you remember how Brittany Pierce's kisses are!"

Santana felt her throat dry and was extremely shaken up from that gesture: she hadn't felt the warmth of Brittany's lips in ages. How she could ever forgot that touch, it was unmistakable.

"Will I see you again before 12 years?" she found the courage to speak her mind.

The blonde laughed "Of course! Now you know where to find me!" then she ran towards the bar.

"Anyway, I remembered how your kisses felt!" Santana yelled from the window.

She heard a laugh in the distance and decided to drive off before melting down at that so sweet sound.

She knew the smile she felt on her face would be there for long that day.

* * *

><p>"Doctor Lopez you are late... Rounds with the chief have already begun" Ashley said while following Santana with all her residents since the doctor entered the hospital.<p>

"Spark remind me, how old are you?"

"23" the young doctor replied right away.

"You know, I was just like you at your age" she halted her steps to take a good look at her. "Obviously, I was less a looser and I didn't have all that red that you have" she pointed at Ashley hair. The young girl could only gape while her colleagues laughed hard.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Spark?" Santana asked resuming her walk through the aisles.

"No Doc"

"Well, then you need some good sex... It's healthy, you know? It help you relax" Santana told her without shame.

"Oh... But... Actually..."

"Follow my advice, Pippi Longstocking! Everything will be better! Right now I need to freshen up and change clothes... Somebody want to help me dress?" she eyed all the residents watching them shaking their heads at the same time.

"So? What are you still doing here? Go to the clinic! And try to do nothing stupid in my absence!" she yelled before closing her office door behind.

XXX

She was headed towards one of her residents ready to give him a good scolding because he still haven't brought her the blood sample result she was waiting for, when she felt somebody linking arms with her.

"Gotcha! Now you are all mine!" Quinn smiled at her giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Why are you wearing the white coat?" Santana spoke returning the smile, happy to see her best friend.

"So that nobody bugs me and... Hey, _I am_ a doctor!"

"You are not a doctor!" She talked back immediately, knowing how much that topic pissed her friend off.

"Of course _I am_ a doctor, I take care of people's minds!"

"You can't do prescriptions... a psychiatrist is a doctor, you are not!"

"Ok... for how long are you going to sidetrack the issue? Because I don't have all morning" Quinn bickered back.

They went for a coffee and Santana told her everything, from the hole Brittany called home to her thousand jobs and to her ten years around the world.

"Oh shit... I would never thought Brittany would be able to do all of this alone!"

"Yeah..." Santana had a proud smile on her face thinking of how strong her Britt has been. She couldn't really take that grin off her face today.

"As for your extreme protection of her and letting her live in her fantasy world without telling the truth, I have to agree with her" Quinn pushed her.

"I don't remember you, or anybody else for that matter, throwing the truth in her face when she said something strange, eh?"

"Of course, we were all threaten by you!" Quinn burst into laughter, thinking back on how persuasive the brunette had been with everybody, using no matter what means.

"You are an idiot!" Santana replied grinning.

"Anyway... How are you? How's your heart?" Quinn brought a hand on her chin gazing at her friend, eager to listen.

"Good, I'm happy to have her back, even if I am appalled at how different she is" the brunette said eluding Quinn's inquiring gaze.

"Mmm-mmmh? So, you aren't even a little bit captivated by this new mature, experienced, beautiful and damned Brittany... Really?"

Santana's heart stopped beating at her friend extreme sincerity.

"But-but what are talking about?" She swallowed nervously, while Quinn continued to stare at her as if she could read her mind for real.

"O-ok.. I can't deny I felt something... But it's like I don't know her anymore... I don't know Quinn, it's a mess... and can I remind you that I have a new life now, a husband?" She was now talking vivaciously, moving her hands.

Quinn couldn't help a little smile while never breaking eye contact.

Santana took a deep breath and finally let her arms down surrendering to her feelings.

"Ok... I already miss her... I need her so much, I never want to be apart from her... After everything she told me about her life in those years, I had the urge to just hold her and stay with her like that forever... It's a mess, Quinn... It's a fucking mess!" she then burst into tears, burying the face in her hands.

"I knew it!" Quinn said seemingly calm and motionless "I should have been there too, I shouldn't have let you go with her alone!"

"It would have made no difference" Santana replied without looking at her.

"Of course it would have changed things! Firstly you wouldn't have slept with her, it's too intimate for me, don't you think?"

Santana kept silent because she knew Quinn was right.

"Assuming you didn't already screw things up completely by sleeping with her for real..." she raised an eyebrow.

"What? No... no! Quinn, what are talking about? We just slept... Anyway, honestly, with all the problems she has, I don't think she is thinking about this sort of thing at the moment"

"Santana..." the blonde grabbed her hands "Right now, everything is confusing. You haven't seen each other since forever and meeting up again was like making the time stop turning... But each one of you, one way or another, went on with your lives, you are not 18 anymore, honey" Quinn told her sincerely.

The brunette could just nod.

"And if you truly think you could rekindle your friendship, I'll be the first to be happy for you two, but if everything will make you suffer again... Then stop it, Santana! Stop yourself before it happen!" she looked at her straight in the eyes, with a sisterly love that new no bound.

Santana's pager went off right then, and she rushed to read the message.

"There's an emergency, I have to go" she said getting up to hug her.

"Lunch together?" the blonde asked returning the embrace.

"I can't, I have a date with my father today" she made a face.

"I see, so tonight are you going to pick me up for our _desperate h__ousewife_ night?" she said making Santana smile.

"Of course... I love you, Quinn" she then kissed her brow.

"Me too, darling" Quinn looked at her friend retreating form and she felt a deep anguish because she already knew how everything was going to end.

* * *

><p>"What do we got?" Santana demanded putting on the gloves.<p>

"Man, 16 years old. Gun wound. He was playing with his father's shotgun. The bullet is located near the left lung, if it puncture it he is done. Patient's conscious" one of her residents spoke up.

"Oh perfect, we got a mad gun fighter today... Call radiology, we need an X-ray!" she said to the young doctor who immediately jumped on it.

"So kid, what's your name?" she then addressed to the aching patient.

"Luke... Ahhhh it hurts!"

"Luke, you didn't have anything else to do? Like studying perhaps... or searching for a beautiful girl?"

"I was just showing my dad's shotgun to my friends" he replied more and more suffering.

"Ok, ok understood... You wanted to be cool with your friend..." she smiled at him only to say "Luke, hear me out, you have to try not to move. You have a bullet near the lung, if you move it could puncture it, ok?" she looked at him steady while the frightened boy nodded.

Within few minutes they had the x-ray result. After looking at it, Santana said worried "Ok, tell surgery to get an OR ready, we need to extract the bullet ASAP!"

They quickly ran to the surgical floor pushing the stretcher with the boy more and more terrified as they nearer the OR. When they arrived her favorite surgeon showed up ready for the surgery.

"If I wasn't so sure you were totally gay, I would be worried" she said smiling.

The man grinned while washing his hands.

"By the way, how's your other half?" Santana asked while getting ready for the operation.

"Good... A little nervous for the opening..." he replied.

"Everything will go well, don't worry... Present-day, only the gays still fill the clubs, so yours is a good bargain"

"But our nightclub is special! When you'll see it you will be astonished!" he told her taking for granted she will be there.

Santana just nodded.

"Ok people, we need to hurry I have lunch with my daddy and he hates when I'm late"

XXX

Finally her shift was over. It had been another hectic morning and she was already late. But before leaving the hospital she wanted to go check upon Adrian. After everything Brittany told her, she wanted to do something for her even more.

She went to pediatrics and, with the assent of some nurses, she took some things she wanted to give to Britt's sister.

After asking the on call doctor about the progress of Adrian, she entered the younger Pierce room.

"Hi Adrian" she stepped closer and kissed her on the brow.

Santana noticed Adrian was sedated, clearly she had been restless and it was dangerous for the wounds that still needed to heal.

"Brittany will be here in the afternoon, how are you?" she asked entering her visual field.

The girl didn't react at all.

Santana looked out the window "It's a beautiful sunny day, you know? Besides, this floor is not bad, it's high up and you can see nearly all Lima... Did you miss it?" She knew she wouldn't get an answer but she tried nonetheless.

She opened the curtains wider, to let more light entering the room. Then she made her way back to the bed.

"You still can't get up, but I brought you something" she showed some sheets of paper and crayons "I know you love drawing and, maybe, looking out, you can imagine our Lima and draw a beautiful picture, what do you say?" She gazed at her and saw the young girl's eyes focused on the things she brought her.

"I'll put them here... When you'll feel like it you can take them" she set them on the table near the bed.

"Now I have to go... Everything will be ok Adrian, Britt and you will never be alone" she whispered in her ear before softly kissing her cheek. She didn't know where the words came from, maybe from the heart.

She bound out of the ward and the hospital and headed towards her car for the lunch date with her father.

* * *

><p>"Here they are, my favorite doctors!" a brown-haired man about thirty welcomed them heartily.<p>

"Francesco! How are you?" said Mr. Lopez.

"Very well! Your table is ready" he pointed at the table while he walked over to Santana to greet her.

"Mmmm you are gorgeous, I'm so envious of Adam!" he told her kissing her cheek and giving her a hug.

"Stop being an Italian lizard... By the way, where's your wife? I have to destroy her at poker tonight"

"She's home with the little Maria, she had a fever this morning" the man replied.

"Oh no... My lovely god-daughter can't be sick, she is too strong!" she said making a funny face.

"In fact she isn't sick, she just has an anxious mother, you should know it by now! Anyway you'll see her tonight"

"Right... I'll make her stop worrying, she'll be so angry at my winning that she'll even forget she have a daughter" she gave him a slap on the back making him laugh.

"Adam?" he asked.

"He'll be back tomorrow morning"

"Ah perfect, in the evening we have a tennis match with Mike and Simon, Mike and I will surely crush them since he'll be tired... yeah!" he grinned sneering.

"Mmmm I don't think he is going to let the two of you win, you know him... Simon and him, they work extremely well together!"

"I know... but I'm confident for tomorrow" he saw her to the table where her father was already waiting for her.

Santana took a seat and noticed the usual gloomy gaze on her father's face since his wife broke up with him. Five years ago Santana's mother had left him for another man, they even moved to another state. Santana still talked to her from time to time and saw her very little. After the divorce she had decided to stay in Lima to take care of her father. He hadn't been the same man since the separation from her mother. From that moment they had created moments just for the two of them. Once a week they have lunch together and often Adam and her invited him to their house for lunch on Sundays.

"When will Adam be back?" her father asked.

"Tomorrow morning"

"How are you two doing?"

"Good... The usual... This thing in New York is wearing him out, but it pays really good" she told him so to calm him down, she certainly didn't want for her father to worry about her relationship with her husband too.

"So... since when you became Mother Teresa and began paying for your patients insurance?"

Santana shivered, she wasn't ready to answer that question and she didn't thought her father could find it out so soon.

"Oh... I didn't know Radio Hospital was so quick" she joked to gain some time.

"You know your boss and I are very good friend, we worked together for years at Santa Rita, it was inevitable the news reached me" he said checking the menu.

"I should have know it" she muttered.

"So? Who is this dear person who doesn't have a medical insurance?"

"Oh... You don't know her... She is one of my old high school friend" she hinted totally into a panic.

"So the fact that her surname is Pierce is just a coincidence, right?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ok... She is Brittany's sister" she gave up, she couldn't lie to her father. He had been one of the first to know she felt in love with Brittany in high school, and he had been one of the many who saw her devastated for all those years after her Britt flew away.

"Are the Pierces back in town?"

"No, just Adrian and her, their parents died in car crash" she didn't add anything more, it wasn't up to her to shoot her mouth off about her friend's life to everybody.

"Gee, I'm sorry... What a mess! So they are having a bad time, right?" he asked sincerely sorry for the news.

"Exactly... They work absurd jobs and they are underpaid. Adrian tried to commit suicide the other night. Blaine and I saved her life only just, she was bleeding to death"

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry... And please give my best to Brittany when you see her, because you already met her, right?" he asked just to make sure of that fact.

"Yes I've already met her, dad" she realized her father was beginning to fell apprehensive after knowing this and she hated every time he was anxious because of her.

"Does Adam know about the money? Does he know Brittany's back and you saw her?" he asked quickly.

"No, Adam doesn't know about the money and he absolutely knows nothing about Brittany and I in high school, aside from some stories about my great times with the ladies which turned him on a lot by the way" she sniggered at her father's uncomfortable gaze. She knew that with that her father would stop with the interrogation.

"Oh please God, Santana!" Mr, Lopez spoke up while she continued laughing at his reaction.

"Anyway you'll have to explain to your husband how you spent the money and to Brittany that you are a married woman now, right?"

"Well... You were there at my wedding too, if I'm not mistaken... indeed I seem to recall you were the one leading me down the aisle" she joked.

"Oh God, Santana... This is not a game, don't you understand it?" he leaned more towards her to be able to whisper the words.

"And you have to understand that I'm 30 years old, I'm not seventeen anymore, for God's sake calm down!" she stare at him angryly.

Just at the moment Francesco interrupted their banter to place their order. The man felt awkward and while the two clients looked at him still angry about their discussion he tried "mmm... If you want I can come back later..."

"No, we are ordering" Santana said.

XXX

They ate in silence, both needing to cool down. They were so alike.

"Have you talked to your mother?" he broke the silence.

"Yes, on Monday" she replied. Then she lifted her head up and saw the usual look on her father's face whenever they talked about her, an hopeful gaze. Her father was still hoping for his wife to be back with him. He was still madly in love with her, that's why if Santana's mom would ever come back, he'd welcome her with open arms.

Santana thought right then that even in love they were alike.

"She is on a cruise with Roger, she was enthusiastic" she went on.

"I'm happy for her"

Santana gave him a dirty look because she knew his words to be absolutely false.

"How was your date with that nurse?" she asked.

"Ahhhh nothing serious, we never talked after that night... too different" he said smiling.

"Ok"

"Listen, I've got an idea... Mainly to keep you from draining all your bank account" her father said taking her hand. Santana was listening worried.

"What do you think if I talk with Dr. Ross to let Adrian admitted in his clinic? It's one of the most appreciated in America as for depression treatment, and he owe me some big favors. I think he'll accommodate her without asking anything else in return"

"Is it the clinic where Quinn does voluntary work?" she asked.

"Exactly... We could even move her immediately, if Brittany agrees"

The brunette looked at her father "Would you really do that?" she asked extremely grateful.

Her father nodded.

"Of course I would do that for you, so that your husband would not tear you to pieces the moment he'll see your account in the red... besides I have good memories of Brittany, I loved her very much, she was as sweet as original" he smiled.

"Yeah... Now she has grown up" she found herself thinking back to Brittany and she couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face.

"Ok... I'll talk to her and then I'll get back to you" she said still immensely grateful for her father's goodness.

* * *

><p>"Santana! Keep your hands where I can see them!" a strong voice scolded her.<p>

"Oh come on Big Mama! What are you afraid of?" she said while the other two players burst into laughter seeing the serious expression on Mercedes face.

"Come on Mercy, trust me!" Quinn gave her a sweet and innocent gaze.

"I trust you Quinn, alone... I don't trust you with this devil!" Mercedes pointed to Santana.

"It's because you are a bad loser, you never could accept that I'm better and smarter than you! Since high school!" she always enjoyed pushing Mercedes buttons.

"It would be interesting if you two would stop fighting for a minute and you, Santana, would tell us what you want to do" Tina said still amused.

"Ok... But wait a minute... Quinn... honey give me your hand" Santana leaned over taking Quinn's hand drawing small circles on the blonde's palm with her thumb as to secretly deliver a message, then she said "Don't worry, everything will be fine, we are going to win like always!" looking at her sweetly.

"Oh please ! Will you do something?" Mercedes was tired and gave the two hands a smack making them loosening their hold.

"Ok... Ok... So I see your bet and I raise it by 10, I feel like my partner here is optimistic" Santana said winking at Quinn.

"Ok, show what you got" Tina put her cards on the table.

"Ahhh I knew it! Come here sweety!" Santana stood and picked up Quinn who laughed happily.

"You cheated!" Tina crossed her arms annoyed.

"That's right... But with the two of you is always the same thing!" Mercedes had given up by now. Santana put Quinn down and went to give Mercedes a hug "Oh come on... Quinn and I are born bitches, you and Tina are good at everything else" she then gave her a loud kiss on the cheek winning her over.

"For example?" Mercedes asked.

"Mmmm for example at having children, you have two wonderful children, obviously my god-daughter is the best!" Santana looked at Mercedes who smiled proud. At her words Tina pouted.

"No, no... My god-son is the best, Michael Junior is the kindest boy in the world" Quinn walked closer to Tina to hold her and cheer her up.

"Mummy! Mummy! MJ slapped me!" a little dark skinned mite with smooth brown hair burst into the room holding her cheek.

"Ohhh come here baby... Come to your Godmother" Santana picked her up before the mother could do it "Bad MJ, why did you slap Mariah?" the brunette walked closer the boy who sprang from the bedroom with tears in his eyes too.

"She told me I have squashed eyes" he said running to her mother who embrace him.

"And he told me I'm a chocolate with flat hair" Mariah immediately attacked pointing at him, bringing a proud smile on Santana's face for how her god-daughter defended herself promptly.

"Ooook! So... We need to set things straight... Come here you two... Come on!" Quinn sat down on the floor and called everybody, the two kids and her friends, to do the same. They all huddle round.

"MJ, honey, look at your mother" she told him and everybody's gaze focused on Tina, hypnotized by Quinn's sweet voice.

"She has eyes just like yours, right? And your father's too, right?"

"Yes" the boy nodded wiping his tears away.

"And now look at aunt Mercy... She is dark-skinned, right? Aunt San is a little less dark than her but more than me, right?" the boy nodded again.

"Your mother loves us very much even if we are different... It doesn't matter! You know, the four of us know each other since forever, and we have always loved and protect each other, always!"

"Oh well, we had our moments too... You got some of my smack Quinn!" Santana cut in.

"Santana!" Mercedes scolded her while Tina and Quinn gave her dirty looks.

The Latina lifted her hands in surrender.

"You have to do the same too, MJ, you have to love Mariah and protect her, even at school" Quinn went on.

The children seemed completely mesmerized by Quinn's soft voice.

"Mariah's father is different too, he is white with brown hair" MJ said.

"And uncle Adam's skin is paler than aunt San" Mariah said while looking at Santana who nodded.

"Yes" the four women said in chorus.

The little girl walked towards her friend and, caressing his cheek, she said "I don't care if your eyes are small, MJ, I love you anyway, just like our moms and dads love each other"

The women, watching the scene, were moved and had glassy eyes.

Baby Chang nodded and said holding her "I like your smooth brown hair" then he turned around hearing the clapping of the 4 adults.

The two kids ran into the room to play as if it were nothing.

"Good job Fabray, if the practice will go bad, you could always open a kindergarten!" Santana joked.

At that moment Mike and Francesco came in with very dirty coveralls.

"Your old Ford is ready to go, baby!" Francesco stepped closer to Mercedes who stopped him with a hand on the chest right at the main entrance, halting Mike too.

"No no no, you are not coming in like that, and neither are you!" she addressed her friend "You have grease all over you!"

"Ohhhhhh come on! I fixed your car, even if it's nearly illegal to drive that wreck... Oh by the way, Quinn tell Simon I'll stop by the shop, I have to talk to him about a new car" he winked at her while pointing at his wife. Quinn burst into laughter watching that hilarious scene.

"Don't even think about it, _I'll _decide when to change _my_ car!" she walked menacingly to him.

"Mmmm come here" Francesco took his wife's face into his dirty hands and kissed her making everybody laugh.

"I hate you!" Mercedes yelled while cleaning her face.

"No, you don't! You love me!" he said before running away.

"Can I kiss my wife?" Mike was so pouting that Mercedes was moved to pity.

Tina went to to him and kissed him softly, then she said smiling "And now go wash yourself!"

"I'll go!" he then ran away, chasing after his friend.

"My God, they are worse than the kids!" Mercedes shook her head.

"The worst is when they play sports together... They seem like kids at elementary school, I don't even recognize Adam where he is with them!" Santana spoke up.

"Simon is just the same as them: the more they grow up the more they regress!" Quinn grinned.

"Speaking of regression, what do you think about ordering some pizzas from Puck?" Mercedes already had the phone in her hand.

"Oh no, tonight I can't stay, I have to go. I'm sorry, tomorrow Adam will be back early from New York" Santana said and then she turned to Quinn "You ok to go back with Tina and Mike?" the blonde nodded suspiciously.

"I'm just very tired, I need some beauty sleep so I can be in perfectly shape for my husband" she smiled winking at her, hoping to calm her.

"Ok... I'll talk to you tomorrow" Quinn said.

Santana said goodbye to everybody, then got into her car and, before starting it, she checked the watch: 22:30. _Perfect!_ She smiled and searched through her navigator for the last memorization.

"_325 St. Jameson Ave - Lima, time 10 min and 30 sec, start the route?"_

"Yes" she answered happy.

She lied to Quinn. She felt terribly guilty about it, but she didn't want another of her lectures, especially in front of her other friends. She needed to see Brittany, she needed to talk to her about her father's offer. If she was honest it was just an excuse. She just wanted to see her again, nothing more.

* * *

><p>Brittany was just drying the last cups at the bar, when she whirled around after her coworker spoke up "Oh fuck... What is a bombshell like that one doing here at this hour?"<p>

She turned towards the hall and that's when she saw her, gorgeous, slowly approaching the counter, with a naughty smile. She hadn't see her dressed like that professional and tidy yet. When they met she had always the white coat on or after hours clothes, pretty sloppy. In that moment she realized Santana had become a breathtakingly beautiful woman and her more mature beauty was extremely captivating.

"Back off Leroy, I'll take care of her" she immediately disheartened him, before going to the counter where Santana was waiting for her.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Brittany rest her head on one hand, smiling at her.

"Mmmm can I have a coffee, please?" Santana decided to play along.

"A coffee... And how do you like it?"

"Hot... Very hot" Santana bit her bottom lip.

"Mmmmmm... I'll make it boiling hot"

"And sweet, very sweet"

"Ok... Leroy? I need a coffee extremely hot and incredibly sweet for this sexy bombshell in front of me" she yelled to her colleague without taking her eyes off Santana who continued to smile softly at her.

"As you can see, I too can push around people sometimes" Brittany went on.

"I can see it" Santana replied still maintaining eye contact with the blonde.

"Are you free after work?" she asked then.

"Why?"

"Can I take you home?" she winked at Brittany.

"When did you become my personal driver? Or are you just stalking me? Believe me, I don't have any other address to be stored into your navigator!" Brittany told her, handing her the coffee.

Santana burst into laughter while sipping her coffee.

"How much?" she asked then.

"The coffee is on the house this time, but just so you know, if you are coming in every day you'll pay for the next"

"I'll wait at the table" Santana told her just to turn around and head for a table in the far end of the bar.

"Ok..." Brittany couldn't help but smile at her and the said "Ah... Santana?"

The brunette whirled around at the call.

"You are breathtaking!" Brittany smiled making Santana blush.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry for the immense delay, but I'm in examination session so I don't have a lot of time to translate... so sorry!<strong>

**Still thanks to Elettra for this fabulous story and to my beta Greta, you are a Godsend!**


	6. The hug

"Wait, let me do it"

Brittany leaned a little bit over Santana's car navigator, making her smile.

She searched for the last stored address and pushed the button satisfied.

Santana waited watching her with an amused smirk on her face.

"_25 Mountain High Street – Lima, time 10 minutes and 30 seconds... start the route?" _the mechanic voice asked.

Santana was about to reply when the blonde stopped her, shushing her. Then Brittany was the one answering "Yes"

"_Invalid command... please repeat!"_

Brittany looked askance firstly at her friend and then at the navigator, while Santana hoped to hide an hearty laugh covering her mouth with a hand.

"Yes" the blonde tried again.

"_Invalid command... please repeat!"_

"Fucking son of a bitch... YES!" she yelled louder while the brunette run riot.

"_Invalid command... please repeat!"_

"Ok... Yes... I'm Santana Lopez" Brittany tried to mimic the brunette's voice, making her tone warmer and huskier, earning a slap on the shoulder from the other woman.

"It works by voice command" Santana scolded her and then said a loud "YES!" to start the navigator.

The blonde pouted frowning. Santana couldn't hold back a chuckle. She noticed that Brittany still had the habit to make odd expressions and Santana thought she was completely adorable.

"Hellish device" she exclaimed then.

"It could have help you in high school, you always got lost in McKinley hallways, you could never remember the right way to class" the brunette said.

"And I'm still like that... But I learned to live with my forgetfulness!"

Santana continued driving without stopping the huge smile her long lost friend had put on her face. She was so happy to have some more time alone with Brittany... and the more she was in her company the more she felt it wasn't enough.

"Why are you laughing?" Brittany asked her.

"Nothing... It's just that your uniform suits you!" she replied naughtily.

"Stop teasing!"

"I'm serious! It really suits you!" she gave her a quick glance over and then added "well, obviously not like the Cheerios uniform!"

"Do you still have it?" Brittany asked curious.

"Of course! Are you joking? I still kept yours, the one you left me before you went away"

"Seriously?" she turned towards her thrilled.

The brunette nodded "You don't know the things I did with that uniform, I even slept in it at night" she then blushed embarrassed.

"I know because in chat you wouldn't stop telling me all the dirty things you'd done with it!"

They burst out laughing together remembering those moments, while hiding some obvious discomfort.

"No but seriously, I have a proposition for you" they had already reached their destination and Santana's face grew serious.

"What? Are you not married? I don't really think polygamy is legal here!" Brittany looked at her serious before smiling sweetly.

"You are an idiot!" Santana gave her a light push as she turned on her right side to better look at her face.

"I wanted to talk about Adrian..." she said with a little fear, while Brittany nodded, her features growing somber.

"I talked to my father... There's a clinic, here in Lima, highly-appreciated in Ohio, where they treat depression, even the most extreme cases... the chief executive is one of my father's dear friends and he could accommodate Adrian without charges... well... she could be treated in the right way there" she said staring worryingly at Brittany who kept a straight face. Santana tensed up when she couldn't read her emotions.

"What do you think?" she asked at last, not even bearing the few seconds of silence.

Brittany took a deep breath and tried to smile.

"Thank you Santana, and really say thank you to your dad..." the brunette returned the smiled

"... but I can take care of my sister!"

Santana's happiness vanished immediately and on impulse she replied "Oh really? And how? It's unlikely with you working all day!"

Brittany remained silent and just looked at her astonished.

"Brittany, it's not just about you, do you understand? It's not a matter of pride! Adrian needs to be treated right and, as much as you could give her all the love you have, it's not going to be enough. She needs people who know what they are doing, how she needs to be cured." Santana tried to explain and compensate for the previous harsh words.

"You don't have to worry Santana, I'll take care of her. I have already spoken with someone who'll check up on her and tell me what to do with Adrian when she'll be good enough to be out the hospital"

"Oh really? And is he a doctor?" she asked crossing her arms.

"No, but he has already gone through it and he knows what he's talking about"

"Oh perfect, let's put her in some other depressed man's hands!" she scoffed angrily opening her arms wide. She then noticed that Brittany was more and more flabbergasted at her spontaneous remarks so she tried to calm down and took her hand.

"Listen Britt, even Quinn works in that clinic some hours a week, she is a very good psychologist" she paused for a few seconds watching Brittany closing her eyes.

"Why don't you trust me? You always did!" Santana softened her voice trying to catch her gaze.

"Exactly! I always trusted you! And look at me! I had to change country, because I was fighting for a person who had made a mess of everything, who had disrupted my teenage life, and at the end I find out she's married to a man and has gave in to the conformist society rules!" Brittany turned around staring at her angrily, while the brunette opened her mouth wide, shocked at that reaction.

"We are not in high school anymore, Santana! I have a crappy life, I don't have any dreams to believe into anymore, everything's gone, everything has been whipped out by reality, I don't see myself happy in twenty years... Do you want to know how I see myself? I'll keep working killing shifts day after day just to go back home, alone, having only the time to rest a few hours before starting the same thing all over again!" she spoke up.

"No! It's not true, Brittany! I'll help, I'll never leave you alone!" Santana yelled back.

"No! Because you've got a life, a family, friends... and all of this has nothing to do with me anymore... do you understand? You can't protect me anymore, Santana... you can't do anything for me anymore!" Brittany screamed so loud that her voice resounded through the car. Santana listened hard trying to realize if she really was hearing that kind of words from Brittany.

"Go back to your perfect life... Please, this thing can't work out, it's been too long and there's too much life behind" Brittany lowered her voice when she noticed that her friend was clearly upset.

"My life is not perfect, it never has been since you left" the Latina told her honestly with glassy eyes.

"Santana... please" the blonde shook her head refusing to listen, she already knew what Santana was about to say.

"No!" the brunette stopped her "when I saw you again, I began to savor that perfect life again... and I don't know how you could be a part of it... I swear to you I don't know right now... But all I know is that I want you in my life, Brittany! Because my life would never be perfect without you!"

That words disarmed the blonde, she froze, her cold heart could never bear that kind of words. Brittany turned to take a good look at Santana, her friend was in tears and completely exhausted by that situation. At the sight Brittany began to get scared.

"I-I have to go..." She looked at her one last time, and moved by pity she uttered "Thanks for the ride"

Santana watched her slowly getting out of the car. She kept staring at Brittany's form walking to the mansion gate, shutting it behind her back without never turning back.

"Fuck!" she gave a punch on the wheel "Why... Fuck Brittany... Why!" she said crying.

Brittany reached the door of the basement, which seems colder than normally to her that night. She gave a fleeting hello to her dog letting him in. She hurled her purse on the floor in a fit of rage and threw herself on the bed, huddling up like she did on the streets in the chilly nights, when she was sad or when something bad had happened. Willy leaped on the bed and laid down next to her. He always knew when she was sad and he always moved closer to warm her up during the nights she spent in the open and to make her feel less lonely. The dog let out a cry licking her nose. Brittany hugged him.

"Everything's a mess, Will... Everything is so complicated" she tightened her hold on him, busting into tears.

* * *

><p>She suddenly felt a sweet kiss on her lips and arms holding her. She slowly opened her eyes. She didn't remember falling asleep, she only recollection she had of the night before was exhaustion and tears.<p>

"Adam!" she threw herself into his arms, making him tightening his hold even more.

"Good morning..." He kissed her.

Santana needed that kiss, she needed someone who could make her feeling safe and protected.

"Darling... you seem so tired, didn't you sleep much?" He looked at her puzzled.

"I wasn't feeling good tonight" she said caressing his cheek.

"Really? What did you had? Are you still feeling sick?"

"Adam..." she broke off the third degree "I just need for you to hold me" she said hiding her face into his neck.

Adam tightened his grip and they remained in silence for at least half an hour, just listening to their breaths, until he fell asleep. Santana loosened the embrace, planting a light kiss on his mouth.

She had to get ready for work.

She couldn't stop thinking about Brittany. she even tried to close her eyes but the blonde's warm smile was still stuck in her mind. She didn't know if telling Adam was the right thing to do, at least to justify the lack of money in their account before he found out on his own. Since he had the day off she decided to let him sleep. He was probably going to call her as soon as he'd wake up.

XXX

That morning had been extremely busy for Santana. For the first time in her life she had thanked her hectic E.R. life because she had not even a second to think of anything but emergency, medical consult and teaching her residents.

At the end of her shift she went to check on Adrian. Seeing her meant seeing Brittany, the two sisters had the same smile. And, at the moment, the young Pierce was the only connection Santana had to Brittany.

She took her time to talk to the head physician: as for her surgical wounds, in some days Adrian could easily leave the hospital, the rest was up to the patient's family.

Santana nodded pretending to know as much as he knew while she was convinced Brittany was going to get her sister out as soon as possible in order to cut off even the last link to her.

Her colleague informed her that Adrian had been eating a little and she had began drawing. Santana felt so happy for Adrian's progress and she entered the room satisfied.

She greeted her and - like usual - she got no reply. She stepped closer to the drawings and began commenting on them hoping to get a reaction from the young girl.

"Wow! This lake is beautiful, I have never seen it..." she said.

"It's in Lima"

Santana felt her heart stop for a second... Adrian had spoken to her... The brunette had never heard her adult voice. She remembered that as a child she had a soft and sweet pitch. Right now her tone was so much similar to her sister's. She recovered and, trying not to let the girl see her shocked face, she kept on talking.

"Really? Obviously I've not been there since forever! It's changed a lot!"

"I was there a short time ago... It make me breathe easier" Adrian said without glancing up from her current drawing.

"I went there a lot with your sister, she loved it so much!" Santana said.

"You were Brittany's best friend in high school, right?" finally Adrian lifted her head to look at her.

Santana nodded, trying to choke back the tears she felt at the moment, not only because Adrian was obviously feeling better but because of all the memories the lake triggered off in her mind.

"I remember you... you always locked yourselves in Brittany's room"

Santana couldn't help but laugh at the innocent sentence.

"Yes... we loved to be by ourselves" she hinted.

"Does your wound hurt?" she asked then.

"I hardly feel anything... I would like to go home. I don't like hospitals… they always give me all those pills that don't let me hold the pencil in the hand anymore, they don't let me draw!"

Santana felt a pang thinking about how good that clinic could be for Adrian since they treat their patient in a non-invasive way.

"Ok, don't worry... You'll see, you'll be home soon then..." she said taking her hand.

The young girl continued drawing like she didn't even heard her, retreating back into her world.

"Adrian, I have to go now... But I'll see you tomorrow. Brittany will surely be here in the afternoon" she said kissing her brow before heading for the door.

"Santana!" Adrian yelled before Santana was completely out of the room.

The Latina turned around and went back to the bed.

"The picture of the lake... You can take it if you want" she said without taking her eyes off the paper.

"Seriously? You are giving it to me?" she replied happy.

The young girl didn't answer, maybe it was too much for her too.

"Thank you, Adrian. It's a beautiful gift" Santana stepped closer and embraced her. The girl didn't hug her back, furthermore she squirmed out of her arms to go back to her work.

XXX

Brittany stepped closer to her sister's bed. She always felt uncomfortable being in that room, it was too cold. Adrian was asleep so Brittany silently closed the distance between them and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

The younger girl took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. Brittany noticed she was obviously sedated to prevent any movement. She felt a lump in her throat seeing her sister like that. She wanted nothing more than just grab her and take her home. For a moment she thought that maybe Santana was right, she couldn't take care of Adrian on her own, but somehow she knew she couldmake it.

"Take me away from here!" Adrian muttered.

"I'll bring you home as soon as possible..." she caressed her sister's hand, hinting a smile and trying with everything she had to choke back the tears.

Adrian smiled back.

Then Brittany laid down next to her, making room for herself on the bed. She took her little sister in her arms and began gently stroking her head. They remained quiet for some time while Brittany listened to Adrian's deep breathing.

"Adrian, please..." she raised her lips to her sister's ear "don't ever do that again, if you don't want to do it for yourself, then at least do it for me... don't leave me alone" she looked into her eyes "I know I have done it for ten years, I left you alone… but please let me making up to you" she finished placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and - this time - she let the tears fall.

* * *

><p>Three days passed since their fight and Santana didn't see Brittany not even once. She even tried to visit Adrian strategically on different times hoping to meet her but it was like the blonde was a psychic, second-guessing all her moves.<p>

That day she went to Adrian at the end of her shift – she had the evening shift – and nearing the room she realized it was unoccupied. She asked for news and found out that Brittany had signed all the papers to take her sister home early in the morning. She felt empty like for the umpteenth time Brittany had betrayed her and had walked away from her refusing her help. But this time she knew where to find her. In the end she decided to let Brittany decide when to step up. She had been truly clear with Brittany when they last talked.

She headed home. Quinn and her husband, Simon were coming over for dinner. Santana certainly didn't want the others to notice her bad mood. Especially her husband, Adam.

XXX

"I stopped on the way back to buy the chicken, do we have enough time to cook it?"

Adam entered the kitchen and immediately stepped closer to his wife, kissed her while she was totally busy chopping vegetables.

"Absolutely" she smiled at him.

"How was the hell? Did you kill someone? You look exhausted" he said.

"Ahah... No dead bodies, just lots of injured patients that were spectacularly treated by me and my colleagues!" she said continuing her work.

"Ahah... Good thing for the society!" he said laughing. He grabbed her wrist to turn her around and give her a hug.

"Hey! What's gotten into you?" she asked puzzled at all the attention her husband was giving her.

"Nothing... You know how much I adore your sexy housewife self... It's my favorite wet dream ever!" he then kissed her with passion.

"You are a pig!" she told him after she broke away.

"Come on, you know it's one of my dream... Having a wife waiting for me at home, cooking and making the home cozy for me"

Santana's mood darkened at the words "Please Adam... we have already talked about it thousand times"

"But why? We can afford it, I make enough money for the two of us! On the other hand you work long and impossible shifts and you are underpaid!" he took her face in his hands.

"But it's my job and I love it! I'm not the _housewife _type of woman who only live to make her husband happy!"

"Ah well... Nice to hear it!" he turned around and was about to leave when Santana hold him to her.

"Adam... I love you and you know it... But I'll never leave my job!" she looked him in the eyes before kissing him softly.

"I just want you to be ok. I don't want you to live and work with blood and dead bodies every single day of your life" he smiled at her before capturing her lips for a second time.

"Ok... when I'll be old and at breaking point, I'll move to the wonderful paradise on earth which goes with the name of dermatology!" They burst into laughter together and then went back to make dinner.

XXX

"So, are we going to the opening tomorrow? Yes or no?" Quinn asked while pouring everybody a drink.

"Oh please darling! Don't do this to me!" Simon put a hand before his eyes in a desperate way.

"Shit Quinn! How could we marry two homophobic idiots like them?" the brunette's fake disgusted expression made everybody laugh.

"We are not homophobic and you two know it. It's just that we feel uncomfortable with all those men... it feels like everyone is looking at you like they are at the butcher's and have to choose the best meat to eat" Adam replied winking at his friend.

"Oh believe me, we could say the same about you two when you come with us at a women dress shop or at a show with women dancers... the feeling is just the same!" Santana spoke watching Quinn nodding proud of her words.

"Yes but, at least we are glad to go with you at those shops, you don't need to beg!" Simon laughed loudly.

"Oh come on... just make up an excuse for Blaine and his _perfect pretty boy_" Adam said.

"You know it matters to Blaine if Quinn and I are there" Santana was getting angry, she hated when Adam called her friends names. She was completely aware she always do that too but she had the right to do it it because they were her friends.

"So, why don't you two go!" Simon said looking from one woman to the other "you go there and we plan a movie and pizza night!" he finished.

The two friend stared at each other, thinking it could be a chance to have fun without their husbands.

"Perfect!" they said in chorus.

XXX

"I've seen Adam calmer yesterday..." Quinn jogged next to Santana. The two had meet for their usual morning run.

"Really? It's the money he is making with the last publicity that is making him happy… Can you imagine!? He brought out again the Santana-housewife's speech!" She replied sarcastic.

"Oh my God! Please no!" the blonde smiled shaking her head.

"That's right... and I even had a knife in the hand... he was at great risk!" they burst into laughter together.

"Have you heard from Brittany?"

"No... Not since the day I suggested the clinic for Adrian"

"She is a fool if she think to find a solution for her sister's problem all by herself... a suicide attempt is not a joke!" the blonde nearly yelled, annoyed.

"Oh don't tell me... just the thought of that little girl alone for all that time... she could easily try to do it again" the brunette replied.

"What if I tried to talk to her?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know if it's a good idea... she has changed a lot... and besides she strongly believe that none of you wants to see her again after she inexplicably cut off all her contact with you all"

"Well she is wrong! I think everybody would be incredibly happy to see her again... We've all gone through difficult times, some had left the group, but then they all came back... We have always been a big family and we always will be!" the blonde said fondly.

Santana's phone rang before she could comment on Quinn's heartfelt words. It was an unknown number. She stopped running.

"Hello?" she asked uncertain while Quinn tried to catch her breath.

Santana heard someone crying at the other end of the call. She didn't even know why but instinctively said "Brittany?"

The caller tried to calm down to utter a few pained words "I didn't know who to call"

"What's happened?" she asked nearly interrupting her while Quinn simply watched worried.

"San... I-I don't know what to do anymore... Please help me"

"Are you home?"

"Yes"

"I'm coming, Britt... Everything will be ok, got it? Wait for me" she said closing the call before looking at her friend helpless.

"What's happened?"

"I don't know, but nothing good..." Santana thought for two seconds "come on, come with me, follow me with your car!"

XXX

They arrived at Brittany's in not time. Quinn was worried, she was about to see her old friend after all that time and in a surely dramatic situation.

They went in and noticed Adrian on the bed rocking back and forth, staring into space, while Brittany tried in vain to embrace her and talk to her.

To the two friends a glance was enough and immediately sprang into action.

Santana nearly lifted Brittany bodily and broke her away from that hold. She was terrified to see Adrian like that too. The blonde seemed incapable to leave her sister but a determined gaze from Santana was all that she needed and she finally let go and threw herself crying into Santana's arms.

It had been too much for Brittany. She had tried to understand what was happening to her sister in those days, living with the fear that Adrian could harm herself again. It had been awful going through all of that alone.

"Come here baby, everything will be ok, there's Quinn with her now" Santana whispered while sitting on the other bed that furnished that cold room.

Quinn slowly made her way towards Adrian who was obviously lost to reality because when she caressed her cheek she didn't even acknowledged her.

"Hi Adrian, why are you moving like that?" she then laid down on the bed next to her.

The younger girl for the first time turned her gaze on her but only for a few seconds before going back to stare into distance, biting nervously her nails.

Quinn took her hands off her mouth and repeated the same question.

"Why are moving like this, Adrian? Is there something that scares you?" she asked with a gentle but sure voice.

"There are shadows watching me..." She uttered shaking even more.

After listening to her sister's ramblings, Brittany cried even more loudly, burying herself in Santana's chest.

"How many are they?" Quinn asked in order to keep Adrian speaking.

"Two..."

"They are near, right? But they can't touch you, right?"

"Yes"

"Ok Adrian, I want you to listen to me... the shadows can't hurt you if you hold tightly my hand, they'll never touch you... ok?" the frightened girl nodded.

Quinn turned to the bedside table and noticed some drugs she knew very well, sedatives and antipsychotics. She grabbed two pills each, still trying to keep her hold on Adrian's hand. She then gave a fleeting gaze at Brittany, she felt like crying seeing Santana holding her like that and seeing how much she has grown up and changed since she last saw her.

"Santana, please, can you bring me some water?" she spoke in a low voice not to scare Adrian.

The brunette grudgingly stepped away from Brittany who continued to shake from fear.

"I'll be right back" she told her, staring into her eyes before quickly running to get some water for Quinn.

"Adrian... Do you see that if you hold my hand they don't come near? Just like I promised you... Right?" the younger girl nodded "so, now, just to be more sure of it, you have to take these pills... they'll make sure those shadows will go away forever... ok?"

She then handed Adrian the glass of water and the girl immediately swallowed the pills.

"Very good Adrian, you'll see now everything will be good" Quinn caressed her brown head.

XXX

Half an hour late Adrian had stopped rocking and slowly had relaxed her muscles only to finally surrender to sleep. Quinn had kept her position, holding her hand for all the time. When she realized that the girl was asleep she broke her hold and got up, sighing in relief. She noticed that that even Brittany had calmed down.

The two blonde friends stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Quinn could see the sadness and weariness on Brittany's face. She started to cry and rushed to hug her.

Brittany returned the embrace and cried some more, partly because she was touched by that meeting and partly because she was still terrified by what had happened.

"Oh darling..." the psychologist said.

"Thank you... Thank you, Quinn... I don't know what to say" she whipped away loose tears, while Santana just looked at her friends shattered by the tears too.

"Don't thank me now... You'll thank me when Adrian is ok..." Quinn stared right through her eyes, caressing her cheeks, and then went on

"Brittany, darling, Adrian need some serious help... she is suffering from hallucinations and depression. These hallucinations are dangerous because they could make her hurt herself again... Do you understand me?" she took hold of her head trying to make her understand the seriousness of the situation.

"With the right treatment she is going to be ok soon. I promise you... Now I'm going to call Doctor Ross's clinic and ask for an ambulance so we can immediately hospitalize her there"

"I just want to be with her, Quinn... I don't want to leave her alone" listening to Brittany's pained words, Santana felt new tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She's not going to be alone... she'll be constantly watched over and, more important, she'll be rightly treated and that's what she needs right now... and you will be able to see her whenever you like, darling" she took a break. She was about to fall apart too, seeing her friend in that state.

"Ok?" she then asked.

Brittany nodded and closed her eyes trying to take deep breaths because the pain was so strong that she was having difficulty breathing.

"I'll go making the call" Quinn said looking at Santana who silently nodded.

The blonde went out to make the call, leaving the two high school girlfriends alone.

Santana slowly made her way back to Brittany. Her ex lover had her arms crossed, deeply tightened to her chest, just like she wanted to keep herself from screaming with pain.

The brunette looked into her tear-filled eyes, caressing her cheek. Then she wrapped her arms around her pulling her into her embrace.

Brittany, helpless, poured out all her pain with a desperate cry clutching at Santana. The brunette's arms tightened around the blonde's waist.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... "Brittany choked out in tears while Santana tried to shush her gently.

XXX

They took Adrian to the clinic where there was already a room set for her, brighter and cozier than the previous one. The doctors reassured Brittany and Quinn explained to her some things about her sister's illness and about what they were going to do to make her feel better.

"You'll see she'll make it, darling... But let us be there for you, you can't do it all alone" Quinn told her while Santana was at the phone.

"I don't want to bother anyone, you have your own life Quinn, I've just made a mess of everything" she replied.

"No Britt, we want to help you... it doesn't matter how long we didn't seen each other, when I held you it felt like all those years disappeared... We are a family... that's what our Berry always said, remember?"

"You are not bothering anyone but you would hurt us if you deny our help... so let us come back into your life little by little"

Brittany didn't know what to say, she was completely touched by Quinn's words, by Santana's eagerness to help in spite of everything she had told her, and in spite of the hurt she put her through for all those years. She shook her head and hugged Quinn tightly who took it as a _yes_.

"Right now you have to rest too, you are exhausted" Quinn brushed some hairs off her face.

"I have to go to work"

"No, you are not going today!" Santana showed up at that moment with an evil smirk on her face.

The two blondes looked at her puzzled.

"Charlie, right?" she began pointing at her phone "I searched for the coffee bar number and I called him as Ms Pierce's doctor saying you were obviously sick and you weren't going to be at work today... aaand if he'll take action for your absence, I would press charges against him for exploitation and call the health office for some controls who surely would be interesting" the two friends immediately acknowledged the high school Santana Lopez's bitch face and they burst out laughing thinking about how their friend could still come up with that devilish schemes like the old days.

"Now, we are out of here... I'll take you home" Santana said then without giving Brittany time to talk back.

Brittany said goodbye to Quinn with a sincere hug, promising herself they were going to see each other soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok so Adrian lost it again... thank God Santana and Quinn were there to help... <strong>

**Hope you'll like this chapter even if I make you wait forever... I'm sorry!**

**Till next time...**


	7. The Last Night of the World

**I'm so sorry for the long wait but after 3x04 I had to detach myself from Glee... The Brittana break-up left me completely heartbroken, more so because it didn't make any sense ... I had to take some time off the fandom to recover... I'm sorry!**

**Thanks again to elettra28 for this amazing story (by the way welcome to !) and thanks a lot to my incredible beta vix00! I love you girls!**

**By the way the soundtrack of this chapter is "Love Song" by Adele.**

* * *

><p>Santana finally took Brittany home. They were silent during the ride. The brunette was still happy that Brittany stopped fighting and let Adrian go in Quinn's clinic.<p>

"Are you tired, Britt?" she turned quickly throwing her a quick smile.

Brittany had her eyes closed. Clearly she was still worried. Santana couldn't understand if there was something else that troubled her other than her sister.

"A little..." She smiled weakly.

"I bet ... You just spent the night trying to understand what's going on with your little sister..."

At those words Brittany shuddered, it was like she had lost her memory for a second and sadly Santana was just now reminding her of the last hours' events.

Santana felt the blonde's turmoil and took her hand in hers. That touch moved them both. It was just an innocent brush but for them, holding hands, had always been a way to stay strong and hold on together to face difficulties. A way to show that they would always be there for each other.

Brittany tightened her grip .

"Now you're going to have a good sleep and everything will be better, you'll see." She said then.

"San…"

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think Charlie will get angry? I can't afford loosing this job." Brittany said anxiously.

"It won't happen, Britt. You just took a day off, you have every right to do it! Don't think about it for now, ok? If something happens we'll think about it tomorrow..." She watched Brittany's face relax at her soothing words.

Brittany had spent the latest years of her life alone. All the difficulties, all the problems and the troubles… She had always solved everything on her own. She had fought hard trying to not give in to the life she choose to live. But in that moment, feeling Santana next to her, feeling that she was there with her and she wasn't going to leave her alone and would face every trouble with her, all of that gave her an unexplainable peace of mind and a sense of security.

It had been too long since she'd felt that kind of sensation, and because of that she was finally truly happy. Santana saw her friend too deep in thoughts and decided to distract her by talking about something lighter.

"Later – while you rest - I'm going to pick up my goddaughter from kindergarten, because today she is 3! It's her birthday!" She said smiling as Brittany looked at her curiously.

"And you know who she is?" She continued.

The blonde shook her head without leaving the brunette's hand, holding it tightly. During the ride Santana had only loosened her hold just to change gears and always got back in the comfort of holding Brittany's hand.

"Mercedes's daughter, Mariah, she is an amazing girl!"

Brittany goggled. "Mercedes Jones has a 3 years old daughter? Is she married?" She asked.

Santana nodded, amused "Yes, she married a crazy Italian man! You should see them, they make an hilarious couple!" She continued almost as to pique her curiosity.

"It's amazing..." The blonde replied before stopping to think about the past, then she asked, "But what about Sam?"

"Oh... It didn't work out between them, they broke up two years after high school, but they are still good friends. He was the one introducing Francesco to Cedes." Santana explained.

"That's wonderful!" the blonde smiled.

Santana was happy that she had managed to keep Brittany's mind off of her problems and decided to continue to tell Brittany about her friends.

"Even Tina and Mike are married and have a 4 years old boy! His name's Michael jr. . Mike named him. He's obsessed with Michael Jackson as you surely remember!" She winked at her.

"Mike and Tina... How I miss them..." Brittany said dreamily.

"We still manage to see each other often, you know?" She turned again to look at her "When you'll be ready to meet them we will organize something... Don't worry." She said, suddenly realizing the reason behind Brittany's sad tone.

When they arrived at Brittany's house, Santana decided to go in with her just to be sure that Brittany would really go to bed and rest. Santana suspected that Brittany was going to put on her uniform and go back to work and to that exploiter of a boss.

Brittany, at Santana's persistence, finally laid down on the bed.

"Now, I really like when you act so spontaneously, Pierce!" The brunette joked making the other woman laugh.

"Do you need anything else?" She asked then.

They stared deeply into each other eyes for few seconds. Brittany felt like crying because of everything but, more than anything she felt her heart skip a beat at how beautiful Santana was.

"Yes... Can you lay down with me for a moment?" she asked then, so freely that she nearly didn't notice the words had left her lips.

Santana swallowed hard and felt her breath caught in her throat at the request. She decided to not dwell on the consequences and laid down next to Brittany.

Seeing those blue eyes so close to her still made her feel things she had never have felt with anybody else, it was like her mind had never completely forgotten the fine features of that perfect face.

They gazed at each other in silence for several minutes.

The brunette felt her heart beat so fast she thought it had moved to her throat.

Brittany brushed her fingers gently against her cheek, as she continued to stare at Santana's face.

"You are so beautiful, Santana." She said sweetly. The brunette swallowed again.

"You too." Santana said as she smiled at her, "I know it's not a very nice thing to say but there is something good in this whole tragedy: we found each other again." she said hesitantly, hoping to not have said something out of line. It was what she really was feeling.

"Yeah... It's true."

The blonde leant her forehead to Santana's. They breathed deeply into each other, like they were trying to gather some courage with that act. They remained like that for a long time till Santana moved away a little just to rest her head on Brittany's collarbone pulling her even more into her embrace. Brittany felt the warmth of Santana's tears falling down on her shoulder and tightened her hold, closing her eyes before kissing her tenderly on the neck .

Suddenly Santana's phone went off making them jump in surprise. Santana got up from the bed swiftly.

"Hey!" she answered nervously.

"Baby! You left home at 7 for your daily run but it's 11... I understand you and Quinn need to lose some weight, but don't you think you're exaggerating?" Adam asked her.

"No... No... There has been a slight change of plans." She looked at Brittany who made a face at Santana's nervous tone.

"That... That is to say it was an amazing surprise." the blonde looked at her even more puzzled.

"Santana, what are you talking about? Where are you?" Adam asked.

"I'm on my way home. I'll tell you everything later." She closed the call and gave Brittany a nervous smile.

"Was that him?" The blonde asked.

The brunette nodded as she sat down on the bed "I have to go... Promise me you'll try to rest a bit?" she asked brushing Brittany's cheek.

Brittany nodded.

Santana saw the gloomy gaze on Brittany face and those eyes. Just a a few moments ago they were shining brightly but now they were sad.

"I'll be back tonight with a surprise!" Santana said excitedly.

Brittany made a confused expression "What?"

"Don't worry, it's a surprise... You just have to trust me" Santana sighed, thinking about what happened some days ago, when she had asked Brittany the exact same thing. "Please Britt, can you trust me this time?"

The blonde replied amusedly, "Ok."

Santana calmed down and smiled at her.

"Good... Okay, I'll see you later." she then gently kissed the blonde's forehead.

"See you later." Brittany whispered back.

* * *

><p>Santana entered the house panting. She was incredibly late. She still needed to shower and to buy Mariah's present with Adam before going to the lunch she had organized for her birthday at Francesco's restaurant.<p>

She threw her bag on the couch and hopped under the shower.

Adam was in the garden but when he noticed his wife was back he went in search of her.

"San? Baby?" He wandered around the house but immediately stopped when he heard the shower running.

He grinned naughtily and went into the bathroom.

Santana let the water fall down on her body, she hoped it would wash away some of the anxiety and the chaos that the recent moments with Brittany made her feel. She already knew it would be impossible to cancel it from her heart but she desperately hoped that the shower would put her mind back on the right track.

"Oh my God Adam, you scared me!"  
>She nearly yelled hearing the shower box suddenly open.<p>

The man stared at her beautiful naked body, made even sexier by the water that kept running down and he looked at her naughtily.

Santana immediately understood her husband intentions and, bursting into laughter, she said, "Oh no... No no... We'll be late, Adam!" As her husband undressed and got into the shower.

"Who cares! I'm sure you already know what to buy for Mariah" He said tugging Santana towards him and kissing her.

XXX

"So what happened this morning?"

Santana and Adam had already brought the present and they were now on their way to Mercedes' home. Santana panicked, she had hoped that, after their intimate moment in the shower, he would have forgotten everything.

"Ah... Yes..." She said nervously. Adam turned around to look at her for a second, raising an eyebrow drily before turning his attention back on the road.

"Well... I met one of my old high school friend." She decided that, sooner or later, he would have to know about Brittany.

"Seriously? Cool!" He replied enthusiastically before continuing, "And what's her name?"

"Brittany." She said, "She was my best friend in high school, she has just recently come back to Lima."

"Really... I thought Quinn was your best friend."

"No, let's just say that in high school Quinn and I had quite a lot of ups and downs... more downs than everything else... We only found each other during senior year and then, after high school, we became inseparable." She quickly summed up the story.

"Ah... and what did Brittany do in the meantime? Where was she?" He asked curiously.

"She left for Paris with her family after graduation... But now she is back and I'm very happy I found her again." She said truthfully.

"Really? It's fantastic baby! I can't wait to meet her! We have to invite her to dinner, don't you think?" Adam took her hand.

Santana froze at the thought of Adam, Brittany and her together in the same room and said, "We'll see... I just need to recover my relationship with her alone."  
>She thought it to be a good and innocent sentence to say to Adam.<p>

"True... For how long you didn't see each other?"

"Twelve years."

"Gosh, you surely have a lot to catch up... Did you tell her about me?" He asked proudly.

"Yes" she muttered.

"Did you tell her that I'm handsome, charming and the best husband you could ever find?" He said smiling at his joke.

"Of course! I even told her that you are the most humble man I could ever find." She replied shaking her head.

Adam laughed and took advantage of the red light to lean over and smack a quick kiss on her lips.

"I love you Dr. Lopez." He told her.

Santana didn't reply, she just returned the kiss.

In that exact moment Brittany's delicate face came to her mind and she felt an incredible desire to kiss her soft lips, not her husband's.

She shook her head to shake those thoughts from her mind.

XXX

They parked in front of the restaurant and saw Mercedes waiting for them.

"Oh perfect! Right on time to do your godmother's duty!" Mercedes pulled Santana by her arm towards her daughter's kindergarten, while Adam waved at them happily as he entered the restaurant.

Santana hold tight on Mercedes' arm like she was trying to take comfort from that act.

"It has been too much since we took a walk together, Big Mama." She rest her head on her friend's shoulder.

Mercedes looked at her puzzled at her but the welcomed the Latina's kind words.

"It's because you are always holed up in that damn hospital!" Mercedes scolded her.

"Oh please Mercedes, not you too. My husband is more than enough!"

"You work too much Santana, find some time for yourself!" Her friend told her sincerely.

"It's not true, see? Today I asked for a day off to be with my goddaughter!" She said as they arrived at the kindergarten entrance.

Children were already running towards their parents.

Santana saw little Mariah plaits streaming in the wind and running towards her, so she kneeled down ready to welcome her into her arms.

"Auntie San!" Mariah yelled hugging her, letting Santana pick her up.

"My baby! You are so beautiful!" she gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"Do you know I'm 3 today?" She show the number with her little fingers while the other hand was brushing the Latina's cheek.

"Of course I know it, and that's way there's an incredible present for you at home!"

"Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"The little girl yelled.

She then leaned over to greet her mom without leaving her godmother's arms.

"Mom, Auntie San has a present for me!"

Mercedes nodded happy. She placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"Uncle Adam too" she reminded her, before looking at Santana for confirmation.

"Happy birthday Mariah, this is my present." the little girl felt someone pulling her down from below.

They all turned around and there was little MJ with Tina who immediately stepped closer to the birthday girl to give her a kiss.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Tina said while Mariah, already out Santana's arms, was focused on opening her friend's present.

XXX

The three high school friends slowly walked back to the restaurant, savoring that little moment of closeness while watchful of their children running and playing happy in front of them.

"I met Brittany" Santana said suddenly.

The other two stopped and looked at her dumbfounded.

"Brittany?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh my God... Brittany Pierce?" Tina exclaimed.

The brunette nodded with a smile.

"But... But how... Where did you meet her? Wasn't she in Paris?" Mercedes asked.

"She's been back in Lima for a year, we met by chance." Santana didn't feel like telling about Adrian, she didn't even know if Brittany would be happy with her telling of their meeting to her friends.

"Oh my God, how is she? She didn't stay in touch. We know where the others are, even Artie, who lives in Canada." Tina said.

"She is good, she changed a lot." Santana replied.

"It wasn't so kind of her to cut every contact with us after she left." Mercedes said, disappointed.

"Right... Even with Mike… They had an amazing friendship, and then with you... You were devastated when she left…" Tina spoke looking at her friend, concerned.

"Oh my God... And you, how are you?" Mercedes asked suddenly worried. At Tina's words she remembered their high school time, in particular their senior year, when Santana came out declaring to everybody her love for Brittany, finally revealing her sexuality.

"I'm good, Mercy, don't worry." She lied.

Actually her meeting with Brittany had completely turned her life upside down but she didn't want to talk about that with her friends.

"I'm happy I found her again... Maybewhen she has time we can plan a meeting... ok?" She said hoping to reassure them.

XXX

Lunch went on perfectly. Quinn and Simon joined them too.  
>Into the lunch, Santana found a moment to take her best friend aside.<p>

"Did you check on her? How is she?" Santana asked in a low voice.

"She is sleeping... I think they are going to let her sleep for a while, she needs to rest, probably she hadn't slept for days. Then she'll begin the treatment... Don't worry she'll be ok."  
>Quinn looked at her friend before asking.<p>

"Britt?"

"When I left she promised me she would sleep a little bit... Let's hope so…" she replied looking up to the sky.

"I told Adam..." Santana said then.

"What? What did you tell him?" Quinn stressed out.

"Hey... hey calm down! I just told him I met my high school best friend after twelve years." She saw the blonde sighing with relief.

"And what did he say?" Quinn asked then.

"He was happy for me... He even suggested to invite her to come over for dinner." She smiled.

"Oh Christ, I think I would have an heart attack seeing you, Adam and Brittany in the same room!" Quinn exclaimed and Santana burst into laughter because she had had exactly the same thought.

"I told Mercedes and Tina too." She said suddenly.

"What? Damn San, what happened to you?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Quinn! Why are you so worried? I want for Brittany to be a part of our life again and I thought that the best way to do it was to tell them about her return to Lima."

"Yes... Ok... But they know about your past with Brittany, remember? While Adam doesn't! What the fuck, Santana!" The blonde got worked up even more.

"Quinn, would you just calm down? They know that I'm married too, it's been twelve years. I'm just happy to have her back, as a friend." Santana said.

"And everything's ok, right? It's exactly what they think, right?" Quinn stared right into her eyes asking for confirmation.

Santana glanced down silent, listening to the deep anxious breathes of her friend.

"You have to help me doing something." She tried.

"What?" The young psychologist asked.

"I promised her a surprise...I want to take her to the opening."

"You are completely out of your mind!" Quinn burst out as she began to pace up and down the room.

"Come on Quinn! There'll be nobody who knows her... Except the owners... Maybe Puck, but I don't think it will be a problem. She needs to take her mind off of things..."

"Oh well... And taking your ex to a gay club opening it seems to me a great distraction, especially for you!"

"Hey Psycho! It seems you are taking everything too seriously, ok? Relax, we'll have fun the three of us, just like in the old times! Trust me Quinn!" Santana put her hands on her hips smiling happily at her friend to calm her down.

"I'm worried about you Santana." Quinn stared at her nervously.

"Don't worry... Really Quinn... We're three hot women and everybody is going to stare at us, gays and not ..." She smiled at her, making her friend laugh.

"God... We needed Brittany Pierce to make you revert to your old bitch self!" Quinn said hugging her tight.

"I've always been a bitch, it's in my DNA." Santana exclaimed proudly and then planted a kiss on the blonde forehead.

* * *

><p>The two friends arrived at Brittany's house that night with a mischievous smile on their face and with some bags in hand.<p>

The blonde opened the door amazed not only at her friends beauty but at everything the two brought too.

"Oh my God... You are two hot chicks... Where are you going?" she asked then.

"To a nightclub opening and you are going with us!" Quinn told her, plating a kiss on her cheek as she came in.

"That's right you are coming with us!" Santana repeated winking before mimic Quinn's sweet greeting.

Brittany remained dumbfounded still at the door for a few seconds. When she turned around, her two friends had already spread out on the bed the dresses they wanted her to try on.

"Oh... but... but I... don't..." She stammered.

"You, nothing! You promised me you would trust me!" Santana told her before taking her hand and pulling her in the middle of what had become an high fashion boutique.

They spent one hour deciding what dress Brittany was going to wear, what shoes to pair it up with and how to do her hair.

Happy with their work, Santana completed the job putting some light make-up on Brittany's beautiful face.

"Oh my God... I don't even remember when was the last time I put some make-up on!" Brittany exclaimed while Santana was concentrating on the eye shadow.

"Oh my God, you are breathtaking Britt!" Santana let the words effortlessly slip her mouth. Brittany's eyes shined more brightly then ever, thanks to the eye shadow .

Job done, the two women pulled Brittany before the big mirror in the closet. The tall blonde opened her eyes wide unbelieving.

"Oh my God, is that woman really me?"

The other two nodded satisfied.

"And now who's the most gorgeous in here?" Quinn asked then.

"I am, obviously!" Santana said with her bitch face making the other two laugh.

XXX

When they arrived at the nightclub, Quinn stopped before going in, staring deeply at her friends.

"Fun is the operative word! No bad thoughts tonight, ok?" She said watching her two friends nodding with a smile.  
>Santana then turned to Brittany. She noticed the blonde was a little upset so she took her hand and said "Promise?"<p>

"Promise!" Brittany replied tightening her hold.

They went in hand in hand, and immediately met Blaine who, at the door, was busy welcoming people in.

"WOW! My girls! You are here! Honestly I wasn't sure you'd come!" He hugged Quinn first and then Santana before stopping in front of Brittany who remained immobile and worried.

"Brittany? Brittany Pierce? Oh my God!" the man exclaimed before hugging her after the blonde nodded.

"Brittany! Where have you been? Shit it's been a long time! You are gorgeous!" he told her looking her up and down while the blonde blushed.

"It's a long story..." she replied awkwardly.

"Hey, but where is the owner of this wonderful club?" Santana took the floor hoping to put Brittany off the spot.

"He was here a second ago, I don't know where he went. I'll search for him and I'll bring him back to you!" Blaine said looking happily to Brittany one last time.

"It's been incredible to see Blaine again...And now I'm even more excited to hug Kurt again!" she said happily. Her two friends sharply turned around worried.

"Kurt?!" Quinn and Santana exclaimed in chorus.

The ex-dancer began to worry at the reaction and opened her mouth wider as Blaine came back with his boyfriend.

"Here he is!" He said.

"Hey! My favorite McKinley girls!" the man leaned over to kiss his two friends and stopped in front of Brittany.

"You are Brittany, right?" He said.

"Sebastian! I didn't think you would remember me... Your nightclub is fantastic, congratulations!" she said trying to cover the shock undergone just minutes ago with her enthusiasm .

"Thank you! We have worked so much on it, right love?" He placed his hand on Blaine's waist looking at him with love in his eyes. Blaine nodded happyly.

"Make sure you have fun, ok? Now I'm sorry my friends but I have to go... I'll see you later!" Sebastian said before leaving Blaine to make their friends feel at home.

"Come on, I booked a table for you... I never lost hope, I knew you would come and I was right!"

He winked leading them to their table.

"What did happen to his immense love for Kurt?" Brittany asked Quinn lowering her voice.

"Long story short, we can say he just gave into the other Warbler's advances." Quinn winked at her "Pierce, I think we need to carve out a whole day to update you on what happened to all your old Glee clubbers." Quinn admitted laughing while Brittany nodded, still upset.

XXX

The three friends were sitting at their table commenting on everything while sipping on their drinks. Suddenly they noticed an old acquaintance of theirs.

"Drop dead! If I knew that in a gay nightclub there'd be some hot chicks, I would have dressed better!" Puck stepped closer with a beer in hand winking. He then noticed Brittany's presence and stopped with mouth open wide.

"Brittany?... Oh my God, isn't that sweetie pie, miss Brittany Pierce?!" He said pointing at her as everybody laughed.

"Puckerman, you haven't changed at all... even if you don't have the Mohawk anymore!" Brittany stood up to hug him

"Darling, where have you been? You left this brunette here in despair!" He said before noticing that his joke had cast a chill over the table.

"Puck, what are you doing in a gay nightclub? I didn't know you'd changed team!" Quinn interjected in order to put her two friends off the embarrassment.

"Oh no never my love. I'm here for my friend Blaine... And because the food in this club is from the Puckerman catering corporation!" He strutted, "It seems I did well. I caught three beautiful ladies like you, all by themselves!" He said winking.

He sat down at their table and began to chat and joke, making the three women laugh like in the old times.

At one point the lights went off and a little stage lighted up in the rear of the club. People yelled seeing Blaine and Sebastian on it with a microphone in hand.

The men thanked the people there and began their performance, singing a romantic duet that moved everybody in the club.

"And now... I would like to call on stage one of the most beautiful voice I know. She doesn't know about this, it's going to be a surprise... Dr. Santana Lopez, can you join me on stage?"

Blaine spoke while Santana, at the sound of her name, opened her eyes wide bewildered. All her friends turned around looking at her amused.

"Oh no! Please tell me this is not happening... He didn't say my name, did he?" She looked at her friends in turn who all nodded smiling, letting her know she heard it right.

"Blaine, you'll pay for it, bastard! Don't even think about it, I haven't sung in ages!" she said.

"Oh come on Lopez, don't play hard to get!" Puck grabbed her and lifted her up in his arms. He then brought her on the stage, while Santana wiggled trying to jump off that cave man.

"Puckerman, the vasectomy you had in high school will be nothing compared with what I'm going to do to you after this stunt!" She yelled punching him on the back.

Santana found herself thrown on the stage, with lights focused on her and a smiling Blaine.

"Come on, pick a song and I'll accompany you with the guitar, just like old times! Come on, do it for me." He whispered at her ear.

"Next time we are together in the OR and I have a scalpel in hand, the patient is not going to be the first one on whom I'll use it" She replied in a low voice, terrifying him.

She faced the crowded room waiting for her to sing and panicked.

She hadn't sung in public since forever, since the Glee Club's performances. They all had gotten together to sing in the past, from time to time, but the context now was completely different.

She focused her attention on a point in particular and saw that Brittany and Quinn had come closer to the stage.

Brittany was so breathtaking that night. She had done nothing but staring at her all night, getting caught by Brittany more than once, but she couldn't help herself.

She had missed her so much during these years, her heart had hurt too much for so long since they broke up. Now she felt it was more alive than ever. Now that she had found Brittany again, her heart raced at every look, at every touch, at every smile Brittany gave her.

She stepped closer to Blaine and whispered the title of the song he already knew very well. He smiled at her pleased and, grabbing his guitar, he played the first notes.  
>Santana searched Brittany's gaze, like they were the only two person in the world. She didn't think of the possible consequences and, looking in to her eyes, she mouthed <em>it's for you,<em> before beginning to sing.

_**Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am home again<br>Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am whole again<strong>_

Brittany found herself dazed by the way Santana was looking at her, by those words and most of all by her beautiful voice that, during so many lonely nights, had echoed in her mind. She had done it often during their separation so she would never forget Santana's voice, the voice she adored to infinity.

_**Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am young again<br>Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am fun again<strong>_

Santana never broke her gaze, she was totally bound to those blue eyes. That song was everything her heart wanted to say to Brittany.

_**However far away I will always love you  
>However long I stay I will always love you<br>Whatever words I say I will always love you  
>I will always love you<strong>_

At those words, tears began falling from Brittany's eyes while Santana was trying with everything she had to choke them back in order to finish the song.

_**Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am free again<br>Whenever I'm alone with you  
>You make me feel like I am clean again<strong>_

Santana took heart and pointed her finger at Brittany making everybody turn around in search of the person she was dedicating the song to. Brittany felt like she had a light on her but she couldn't care less at the moment, she kept staring at the woman on stage who was singing to her and only her.

_**However far away I will always love you  
>However long I stay I will always love you<br>Whatever words I say I will always love you  
>I will always love you<strong>_

The brunette ended the song and couldn't hold back a tear as the crowd cheered at her. Quinn looked at Brittany finding her clearly shaken up by the performance.

Santana stepped off the stage, heading towards her friend who praised her like a crazy man. She ignored Puck who kept making fun of her and focused all her attention on a silent Brittany. She met her eyes and the blonde took her hands.

"Beautiful song and you sang it amazingly!" Brittany tried, softly.

She then noticed that Santana was still shaking.

"I need some air" the singer told her.

"Come on, I'll take you out" she grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the main exit.

They were still holding hands.

"You did some very brave thing back there!" Brittany said smiling softly as she brushed an unruly lock of dark hair behind the ear.

"What would that be? Singing on a stage before a string of moved gays or..." She stopped for a second to catch her breath, "Dedicating the song to you?" she looked at her shyly.

Brittany felt Santana starting to tremble again, so she tried to hold her in order to calm her down. She wasn't so successful because Santana began to flounder even more at the act.

"Have you really missed me that much for all those years?" Brittany whispered.

"You can't even imagine it, you were always in my heart, in my mind... and even if I tried to start anew and even if I felt something for another person, I..."

She couldn't even finish the sentence before she felt Brittany's lips on hers.

She opened her eyes wide in wonder, but then a stronger feeling of comfort pervaded her. Those lips were so soft, they were like a drug for her heart. Brittany put a hand behind her nape caressing her smooth hair. They cling to each other even more and, like their instinct remembered their past time, they opened their mouths to let their tongues in, tongues that recognized the other and trembled with joy at the unforgotten union.

"Hey! Puck want to sing _We Are Young_ all together, we have to go on stag..." Blaine froze seeing the two old friends kissing.

Brittany and Santana broke off the kiss, not losing their embrace altogether yet.  
>Brittany rested her forehead on Santana's shoulder defeated and burst into tears. Santana tightened her hold on Brittany, at the same time seeing Blaine's upset face. The two ex-lovers couldn't stop looking intensely at each other, so Blaine raised his hands in apology and walked away.<p>

"I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done it..." Brittany said through tears.

"We both wanted it." Santana said softly as in the distance she saw Quinn silhouette approaching.

"What happened?" Quinn asked worried.

"Brittany's tired, can we go?" the brunette asked.

Quinn immediately nodded and went back into the club to get their things.

During the drive back home, Quinn felt an incredible tension. She watched Santana sitting in the passenger seat with a strained face on, her typical expression of worry. She thought that certainly something had happened between the two.

The reached Brittany's home and Santana turned to her left

"Can you wait here for me, I just need a minute?" Quinn nodded silently and just waved Brittany goodbye.

Santana and Brittany found each other at the doorstep, neither knew what to say about what had happened not long ago.

"I-I don't know... Christ… I'm sorry Santana" she said, clearly embarrassed and very upset.

Santana felt the unstoppable urge to hug her and succumbed to it. She hold her tight to her and burst into tears. They remained like that for some seconds saying nothing. The blonde was too sorry even to cry.

"I need to sleep on it... Forgive me, but I can't talk right now." Brittany nodded in understanding.

Santana then looked into her eyes, Brittany was truly breathtaking, even more beautiful than some hours ago if it was possible. She couldn't stay there any longer and not doing something she would surely regret in the morning. So Santana loosened her hold and she gave her a kiss on the cheek as a goodbye.

She walked back to the car and sat down next to a worried and upset Quinn. Surely the blonde would have noticed her puffy eyes by now, obviously realizing what had happened too.

"What hap..."

"Quinn! Please... not now!" Santana topped her immediately.

The blonde complied with her request and drove her friend home without saying a word throughout the car ride.


	8. Doubts

_**However far away I will always love you**_

_**However long I stay I will always love you**_

_**Whatever words I say I will always love you**_

_**I will always love you**_

Brittany couldn't sleep at all that night. That song and that confession haunted her all night long.

_What had came over her?_ She thought. Santana was married! She shouldn't have kissed her. She shouldn't have let her feelings and instincts getting the upper hand over her willpower.

The blonde woman had lived all those years hiding her feelings. She'd had her share of relationships, with both men and women, but she'd always had a rule: 'never fall in love'.

And usually, when the first sign of weakness would present itself, she would always take the chance and leave those who could possibly make her fall into the trap of love, addiction and dependence.

Brittany didn't want to love someone so much to not be able to live without them. That couldn't happen, not again.

She'd wondered time and time again about the reason of that need and, every time, for all those years, Santana always came to her mind. It was stupid to think that her teenage love could have marked her life so much, but, for better or worse, Santana had always been her 'one'.

Maybe there will never be another one like her, maybe she would never feel these feelings again.

Feelings that their earlier kiss had reawakened.

Maybe Brittany didn't fall in love again because nobody could ever make her feel like Santana had.

She told herself again and again, all night long, that it wasn't important because she had left Santana alone and disappeared from her life without giving her any explanation.

Because of that, now the blond woman had no right to turn her life upside-down, she couldn't come back into Santana's life like nothing had happened only because of a sick twist of fate.

Brittany decided to get up and get ready for work. Staying in bed all day would only make her brain hurt. These thoughts were killing her. Brittany had a very busy day ahead of her and she absolutely needed to tell Charlie that Adrian would not be able to work for some time.

She truly didn't know how he would react to the news.

* * *

><p>Santana woke up very early that morning and decided to go for a run alone. She needed to clear her head and she needed a way to stop all the thoughts and feelings that had resurfaced after last night.<p>

She ran to the park and kept on running without stopping. She felt nothing at all, no exhaustion, no pain, not even shortness of breath. She was feeling like a robot. Well, a strange robot, that is. She couldn't stop the memories, the feelings, resurrecting in her mind. Not even the fatigue of the fast run was able to obfuscate these feelings.

She stopped, breathing heavily from exhaustion, and sat down on a nearby bench, closing her eyes and giving into the angry tears that had been threatening to fall since the night before.

* * *

><p>"Yeah! You are ok! I'm so happy you are back!" Sarah had descended upon her right after she walked through the bar's main door.<p>

"Hey! I'm better, see? I'm strong!" Brittany said holding her in her arms.

"I sent you a message yesterday, I was so worried when Charlie told me you wouldn't come in because you were ill." She frowned.

"Yes I saw it but I couldn't reply. I have no money, I spent the last bit to call for help." Brittany lowered her head.

"What happened?" Her colleague asked.

"Adrian was admitted to the psychiatric clinic." The blonde informed her with glassy eyes.

"Oh my God Britt, I'm so sorry!" The young girl said, worriedly. She hugged her friend, tightly.

"Don't worry, it's the right place for her. But she will have to stay there for a while." she said

"When are you gonna tell Charlie?"

"I'll tell him today." She loosened the hold on Sarah and headed for the employees' locker room to get ready for her shift.

* * *

><p>"I'm coming! I'm coming! Shit... It's 8:30 in the morning, on Sunday! Whoever you are, I hope it's important, because you'll not live long enough to see the sun going down today!"<p>

Santana persistently rang on Puckerman's house bell.

She knew he was home and probably still asleep, but she needed him. She needed to talk to someone who would not judge her. She needed someone who was not in any way linked to the other people in her life.

She needed someone who was only concerned about her and her own well being.

The still sleepy man opened the door and found Santana staring down at the floor, arms crossed.

He didn't say anything, he didn't need to. Puck knew that when the brunette showed up at his door in such a state, it meant that something very important and possibly even traumatic had happened. She'd done that when her mother had run away, she had done that even the night before her wedding, when, panic-stricken, she wasn't so sure anymore if it was the right thing to do.

And now, there she was again... Noah could only guess the reason why. He always joked around and acted like an idiot, but he knew how to read people.

"Since you woke me up, do you want to have breakfast with me?" He pointed to a mug, ready to be filled, as he warmed up the coffee.

Puck's kitchen was big and white. The two sat down at the table, in the center of the room.

"Did you run? You're wearing your workout clothes." The man tried. He wanted Santana to open up to him; it was obvious she was worried..

The brunette didn't reply and kept on staring into space, with her arms crossed.

"Would you like me to get you a piece of paper? So maybe you'll be able to write down something?" He provoked her.

Santana looked up, "you are an idiot!"

"Ah... well, at least that's something..." Puck said, making Santana chuckle as he poured some coffee into her mug.

"So... What's the matter, Dr. Lopez? Your husband can't last for more than 2 minutes anymore?" He smirked, sipping his coffee, satisfied with his joke.

"Noah stop it! Cut the crap!"

The Latina grabbed her mug and, standing up, walked towards the living room.

There, she sat down on the white couch, situated in front of a wide glass wall, facing a huge garden.

Puck followed her, waiting for his friend to begin talking.

Santana kept staring into space. Puck had had enough so he broke the silence.

"Come on, Lopez! I know you are here because a certain blonde woman magically came back into your life."

The Latina looked at him with glassy eyes and Puck felt incredibly sorry for her. She sighed, trembled and burst into frantic tears. Noah took her mug away before she could spill everything on his three thousand dollar beautiful couch, and took her into his arms.

"Shit, we really didn't need this... she turned your life upside down again, didn't she?"

The brunette nodded still in tears.

"Hey... hey, stop it! You know I can't stand a crying Santana!" He loosened his hold a little and took her face into his hands forcing her to look at him, straight in the eyes.

The brunette nodded and tried to hold herself together, wiping away her tears.

Noah waited patiently. It took her some time but Santana managed to calm down.

"Fuck, Puck! I thought I was strong, I thought my feelings for Adam were stronger than this and yet all it took was seeing Brittany and all my certainty disappeared!" She began, angrily.

"Everything is heightened once again, just like 12 years ago. The difference now is that I'm not a teenager anymore! I'm a grown-up woman and I'm married, damn it!" She punched the couch, angrily. Puck shivered next to her. He was worried.

Santana looked at Noah and spoke, telling him the truth.

"Yesterday we kissed." Puck's eyes widened. "Well, she kissed me, but I did nothing to stop her..." She said, "And I did my part too, I sang her a song!" She continued.

"Oh shit! And yes, that song made your intentions very clear!" Puck told her, remembering the moment.

"I don't know what to do! My head hurts!" Santana put her hands through her hair.

"Hey... Hey... Calm down! You don't necessarily have to decide everything right now... No one can force you to do it!" He took her hand in his as she kept looking at him desperately.

"Listen, San. As much as I don't like the perfect husband you chose, and you know it very well... You built a new life here after Brittany left and, all things considered, it's a good life. Peaceful and without problems; perfect husband, perfect job, perfect house and perfect friends." Puck joked, as much as he didn't like that coat of so-called respectability that so many of his friends had created. Their lives were so 'by the book'.

That's the reason why he had distanced himself from them and stopped hanging out with them.

He'd always felt trapped when he was with them at family dinners, they all acted like those 18th century respectable families.

He was 30 and he still wanted to live his life fully, not trapped in a marriage.

Santana knew it very well, and she understood him a little too, but, just like always, she hadn't had the courage to do the same.

"You just have to figure out if she's worth risking everything." He finished.

"Do you think it's easy?" She sent him a dirty look at his last comment.

"No. Not at all. But your happiness depends on that choice, Santana. And nobody can tell you what to do, only you can."

The brunette, defeated, let herself fall into her friend's arms, breathing out loudly.

"Fuck... Sometimes I wish she would have just stayed. Heck, sometimes I even wish she had never come back. This whole fucking situation is a mess, Puckerman."

"I know, I know." Puck tightened his hold, letting her feel that he would always be there for her.

It didn't matter what she chose to do in the end, he would always stand by her side in silence.

Santana knew that she could count on him.

* * *

><p>Brittany was nervous that morning. Charlie was keeping an eye on her. Obviously he hadn't appreciated the way she'd warned him that, the day before, she wouldn't have gone back to work.<p>

Or maybe hearing that from today he was going to have one employee less and had to look for a new one to cover for Adrian's shift, had annoyed him.

Brittany had already cleaned the restrooms twice- even if it wasn't her job - and emptied out the coffee maker three times.

"Brittany, the beer barrels are here, bring them in!" The man yelled at her from the kitchen.

Charlie exited the kitchen slamming the door violently. The two girls jumped, at that moment they were the only three person in the shop.

"I'd say that after your break yesterday, you should be well rested. We've been busting our ass covering your shift! I think that you are perfectly fine to bring those barrels in, alone!" He pointed to the exit, where the barrels were.

Brittany turned around to look out before locking eyes with her co-worker who nodded, letting her know that as soon as the man was gone, she would help her.

"Okay." She told her boss.

Charlie went back into the kitchen with a satisfied sneer.

The women rushed out and decided that, because of the barrels' weight, they would roll them in.

"Come on, let's hurry before he notices us." Sarah said, making an incredible effort.

Brittany looked at her, "Thank you." She made her friend smile even though they were faced with a tedious task.

They managed to move in nearly all the ten barrels, only one was left.

"Sarah, you have to go to Smitterson for... What the hell!" Charlie caught the two as they were bringing in the last barrel.

"I told Brittany to do that work alone, why does nobody ever listen to me? Get lost!" The man pushed Sarah, throwing her off balance making her tumble down.

"Leave her alone, bastard!" Brittany jumped on him before he could hit Sarah again.

The man turned around quickly and grabbed her neck before yelling in her ear.

"Here me out, can't always do what you want. I'm in charge here, and you can't decide to come to work whenever you want. Next time I'll come to your home and drag you here... and no doctor whore will be enough to make me desist!"

As soon as she heard the last words, Brittany grabbed the arm that was around her neck and, with a last-gasp effort, lifted him up even though he was bigger and heavier than her, before throwing him down on his back. The man was shocked.

"This is what I learned when I had to protect myself from bastards like you!" She pointed to him, fearless.

"Fuck you, Charlie. You and your bloody coffee maker!" She took off her apron and tossed it at him while he was still on the ground and then went to Sarah.

"Are you ok?" The woman nodded, still freaked out by her friend's impressive move.

"Yes, I'm good. Thanks for everything, Sarah. Please, get away from this shitty hole as soon as you can!" She kissed her cheek and walked away, leaving her now ex-colleague still shocked.

"Perfect, now I'm jobless, too. You really missed your screwed up life, right Britt?" she said out loud, getting angry at herself.

She walked for a long time trying to calm herself down, before deciding to go visit her sister. She needed to see Adrian and make sure that at least she was okay.

* * *

><p>"See Ernest, the advertising market is not the same anymore. Right now, there's this new hologram technology that, little by little, will replace the old placard on the road." Adam was cutting the roast meat while chatting with Santana's father who, as was customary every other Sunday, was at lunch with them.<p>

"Just thinking about all those 'almost real' people advertising, who happily brush their teeth before my eyes but when I try to touch them, it's like touching a ghost... I shudder." The man's funny face made Adam laugh.

"Well, that's the innovation! We are working on this project and we are going to be the first to test it. Next month we'll beam an entirely holographic perfume ad! It's going to be amazing!" Adam said, excitedly.

Santana's mind was elsewhere, not paying attention to the conversation at the table.

Her father noticed, "Everything okay, darling?"

"What? Yes, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought." she replied as her father sent her a warm smile.

"How's the hospital going? Are there any problems?" He asked then.

"No, no. Everything is fine." She said evasively, "I'll go get the fruit." She added quickly. She needed to get out of that conversation.

xxx

After lunch Adam walked over to Santana while she was still cleaning the kitchen. He hugged her from behind and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"You still haven't told me anything about yesterday. How was the Sin den?" He asked her, smiling.

Santana froze. She certainly couldn't tell him she didn't know because she had kissed Brittany and, before that, she'd sang her a love song like a foolish lovesick schoolgirl.

"Good, we had fun. Blaine and Sebastian really did a wonderful job, their club is truly amazing!" That's all she said.

Adam turned her around to meet her eyes.

"I'm sure someone turned straight after seeing you dressed like that. I wanted to kidnap you and never let you go, ever." He told her before closing the distance between them and kissing her with passion.

Santana was glad that Adam had kissed her. Kissing him was easy, there was no confusing feelings, no pain, no worries. Nothing like kissing Brittany.

"However, baby, try to be a little happier when your father is here. I don't want him to think that we are not happy together and that there are problems between us. We are okay, aren't we?" Adam asked her.

The brunette stared at him puzzled. She didn't understand his reasoning.

"Of course we are! Where did you ever get that idea? My father knows me well, I don't have to pretend to be fine with him!" She said angrily before walking away from him.

"Hey! What's the matter with you? I just want your father to be relaxed when he is here with us. I don't want him to think about your mother. The old lady left him, remember?"

"Hey! Why don't you measure your words! You know nothing about her. You barely know her!" Santana burst out clearly annoyed, pointing angrily at him.

"Well, you are the one that always complains about her!"

"I can do it, I have all the rights in the world. You don't!" She yelled before storming off.

The man realized he went too far and followed her. Entering their bedroom, he saw Santana curled up on the bed, crying. She had been tense all day, yelling and crying even for little things.

Adam walked slowly to the bed and sat down next to her.

"Hey. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go so far, but I'm just worried for your father. In his place, if you would leave me for another person like your mother did, I would die." He told her brushing some hair out of her face.

At those words Santana stopped breathing. She even thought Adam suspected something, so big was her guilt, but then she reasoned it was impossible.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just too nervous today." She said to calm him as she dried her eyes.

"I'll take you out tonight, okay? We'll do something just for us, just us my love." He whispered in her ear before kissing her passionately.

Santana turned over, making herself more comfortable on the bed.. She then grabbed his face between her hands kissing him back with even more passion, just like she unconsciously was asking for forgiveness for what happened the night before.

"Okay." She whispered when they parted, smiling at him tenderly.

Adam smiled back before speaking, "Now I have to get ready for the match with Simon and the guys. I'll see you later?" He asked for a confirmation.

"Of course! I'll be here. I'll wait for you, I'm not going anywhere." She tried to reassure him.

Adam gave her another quick kiss and then went off.

The brunette sighed scared. Her confusion was only growing more and more.

* * *

><p>Brittany headed to Adrian's room. As she entered she noticed that her little sister was sound asleep. She decided to not wake her. She just needed to watch her peaceful features for some time. She needed to erase the memory of Adrian's terrorized expression from the day before. Brittany sat down next to Adrian and began to gently stroke her hair.<p>

"This morning she woke up and ate something, but she is still under a strong sedative. She needs to rest, so that her mind can regain some lucidity." Brittany didn't need to turn around, she knew that voice very well.

Quinn approached the bed and put a hand on Brittany's shoulder. Finally the blonde looked at her

"Do you think she's gonna make it?" She asked with glassy eyes.

"If she is strong like her sister, I think so." Quinn replied before offering her a smile.

Brittany smiled and turned her eyes back to her sister, still asleep.

"Have you eaten already?" The young psychologist asked.

"No, not yet."

"Come on, lunch is on me, I'm hungry." Quinn took her hand and the two friends walked out of Adrian's room.

xxx

They grabbed lunch from a nearby shop and decided to eat in the park close to the clinic.

Quinn and Brittany sat down on the grass, enjoying the sun.

"How are you?" Quinn asked

"Mmmm... I've seen better days and that's something, since I've spent the last few years of my life on the streets."

The other blonde laughed at her friend's joke.

"God 've grown so much... Looking at you now, it's difficult to think of the naive high school Brittany." Quinn shook her head still bewildered at Brittany's transformation.

"I had to grow up quickly." Brittany said.

"I bet." Quinn said, "Britt, what happened yesterday between you and Santana?" The woman decided to be blunt, she couldn't pretend to act as if nothing had happened.

"Didn't Santana tell you?" Brittany asked surprised.

"Nope. She's too scared. I'm the voice of her conscience." Quinn smiled.

"Then maybe you have to wait for her to tell you, I think it's better that way." Brittany replied.

"Did you two kiss?" Quinn asked with as much candor she possessed.

The other blonde remained silent.

"Brittany, I love you. I really love you like a sister." Quinn began, "And I'm so happy to have you back." she turned around to look at her friend's face better, "but Santana has created another life for herself after you left. It wasn't easy. It took her a while, but she made it. I spent many nights comforting her when she was sick, many days trying to find her something to do to distract her from the memory of you. She was in a dark place."

Quinn took Brittany's hand and noticed the young woman's serious face. She didn't want to hurt her, she knew she had already suffered enough, but she felt those were things that needed to be said.

"I've always supported you two. I've always been on your side and I believed in your relationship as much as the two of you. You know that." Quinn squeezed the other woman's hand, "But I don't want Santana to suffer again, I don't want her to do something thoughtless only to be left with nothing again, because you'll suddenly be gone from her life for the second time."

Brittany turned around to observe Quinn's face in silence.

"So, if you don't feel something for her please, stop what you're doing. Now. Before it's be too late." The psychologist spoke with a determined voice.

"Don't worry, Quinn. I don't want to ruin anything for anybody. I'll just leave." Brittany firmly told her without letting any emotions show.

That kind of composure deeply upset Quinn. She tightened her gaze, thinking that this was the stupidest thing her friend could have ever said.

"Why? Why do you feel the need to run away again?"

"I lost my job today. It seems to me like a good occasion to go to another city in search for another job." She lied because she couldn't say that the only reason she wanted to run away was that, after that kiss, she realized she still had strong feelings for Santana.

"You can find another job here. You don't need to run away again. Because that's what you are doing, isn't it? You're running away!" Quinn told her while Brittany stared ahead, lost in thought.

"You'll break her heart again. You know that, right?" Quinn continued.

"Okay. What the hell do you want me to do Quinn? Tell me!" She suddenly turned around with enraged eyes. Quinn frowned but wouldn't give it up.

"You just have to be honest with yourself, with your heart and more than anything, with Santana!" Quinn yelled with everything she had.

"It would be useless, if not ruin her life more. Thanks, but I've been successful in doing that once already, I don't want to do it again," She commented, tauntingly.

"If, right now, you can look me straight in the eye and tell me honestly that your leaving will solve everything, that it will make her happy and more than anything that you'll be happy, then, in that case, I'll be the first one to support you!"

Brittany turned and looked straight into her friend's motionless and angry eyes. She tried to speak, she tried with all her strength but she couldn't, and, feeling defeated, Brittany lowered her head and cried.

The other blonde was moved and leaned forward to hug her.

"Come here." She tightened her hold before tears began falling from her eyes too, "God..." Quinn said, "I care for Adam very much, but... When I see Santana and you together I can't _not_ acknowledge that you are perfect together. You two are made for each other." Quinn whispered.

"Destiny has been cruel with you two, darling." The blonde psychologist told her as she stroke Britttany's blonde locks.

After some time the two calmed down and Brittany lit a cigarette.

"Since when do you smoke?" Quinn asked, surprised.

"I only smoke when I'm nervous." Brittany confessed.

"What's Adam like? Tell me more about him." Brittany said, letting out some smoke.

Quinn cuddled up bringing her kneels to her chest and smiled.

"He is self-centered, chauvinist and a tireless worker."

"Basically he is a male Santana." Brittany declared, with a snort.

"Exactly. They are very similar. Adam would do anything for her, he loves her very much and he would protect her with his life if necessary."

The other woman smiled at those words, thinking the feeling to be something common for someone in love with that wonderful creature.

"How did they meet?" Brittany asked.

Quinn laughed at the memory

"Do you remember Finn?"

"Of course I remember him!" She exclaimed.

"They were college mates, he was the one who introduced Adam to Santana. He had set his mind on making Santana forget about you, and you know how Finn is: when he sets his mind on something..." She trailed off.

"Yes. I remember very well." Brittany replied.

"Anyway, from the first moment he saw San, Adam was entranced by her beauty and, think about it, he wooed her for a whole year!" Quinn said amused.

"He tried in every way, I swear, I saw the most embarrassing moments for which Santana is still famous at Yale, because of Adam!"

Brittany smiled "And how did he make it? How did he win her heart?" She asked, curiously.

"I would say because of exasperation," Quinn laughed, "but, he did an incredibly sweet thing: he went to Santana's grandmother and decided to win her over before the granddaughter. It was surely easier. Then Adam showed up in front of Santana's room in campus with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and her grandmother on his arm. Her grandma begged Santana to give that handsome young man a chance. At that point, in front of her living idol, she couldn't say no to him." Quinn concluded.

"Yeah, the dear grandmother." Brittany nodded, thinking back to how much Santana suffered when her grandma didn't accept _their_ love.

"They married after a year and a half of engagement." Quinn blurted out as if to divert her friend from long lost painful memories.

Listening to that story, Brittany thought her decision to leave was even more right than before.

Santana would never live in peace if Brittany stayed. The distance had allowed Santana to go on and have a ray of happiness. Brittany didn't want to ruin that.

Just as if reading her thoughts, Quinn asked.

"Do you still want to leave?"

"I don't know…. I swear Quinn, I don't know anymore." Brittany replied, placing her head on her friend's shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm back! It's been a while since I update this story and for that I apologize, but I'm sure you know how sometimes life can get... I just can say I'm terribly sorry!<strong>

**Thanks again to elettra28 for this amazing story and thanks a lot to my incredible beta vix00!**

**I hope you liked this chapter, even if I made you wait forever... I'm sorry!**

**Till next time...**


	9. Tattoos

Santana sank down on her couch sipping a scalding cup of tea. She couldn't sleep at all.

The Latina knew that she should try and get some sleep because she would have to wake up at dawn for her morning shift at the hospital. The thing was that she couldn't turn her brain off.

Santana couldn't stop thinking about what happened some hours ago: she had made love to Adam that night.

He had been incredibly sweet at dinner. She hadn't seen him like that in ages. She'd given herself to him because she still felt guilty for kissing Brittany.

An she couldn't explain the situation. Why was her husband acting like they had just got engaged? Why now, when in the last period of time he did nothing but ignoring her, making her believe he didn't love her anymore? Santana didn't know how to explain it. She felt like the fate was mocking her with Brittany's return and Adam's sudden change of behaviour.

Santana felt guilty towards him. Guilty because she'd been thinking about another person, while he was focused completely on her. She'd been trying to stay calm since the kiss.

She'd told herself that after all it had only been a kiss. A kiss that had unchained feelings, feelings that she had kept hidden for a long time, though.

She hadn't heard from Brittany for the whole day. She didn't know how to approach her.

She hadn't thought about anything else but the feeling of those delicate lips finally on hers once again.

She grabbed her phone and simply wrote '_I miss you'_ and sent it.

It was late. Maybe Brittany would read it in the morning, after waking up, on her way to work. She didn't care. At the moment Santana just needed to tell her that.

* * *

><p>Brittany felt her phone buzz. She opened only one eye to check her phone. She acquired a certain sensibility in her sleep since she had slept on the road more than once.<p>

She was always startled by every single movement or noise.

She immediately tensed up thinking that something had happened to Adrian. But when she saw the name on the display she smiled relieved and read the message. As she looked at the phone, her smile only grew larger and her heart skipped a beat. But a few seconds later she felt a wave of sadness invade her body because she realized that she couldn't reply to that simple message. She didn't have any money left. She put her phone back and turned over, grumbling to herself.

* * *

><p>Santana had gave up on sleeping. That morning she had kissed Adam goodbye. He was off to New York. It was an important week for her husband. He would have to stay in the city longer to finish the project he had been working on for ages. Santana could see that Adam was excited. And for once she noticed he wasn't unhappy to leave her behind. He surely couldn't wait to achieve one of the most important goal of his career. She had felt just the same when she had scored on top in the resident exam to become the interns' chief. She was going to join him in the city Saturday to stand by him for his project's launch. And even if she didn't feel like it she knew it would mean a lot to Adam.<p>

Santana couldn't stop thinking about her text to Brittany. She was feeling like she was back in high school again. Come to that, Brittany didn't even replied. That silence sent Santana even more into panic. She thought about billions of explanations, among which the fact that Brittany didn't care at all and that the kiss was just Brittany's way to thank her for the night out.

Well, it certainly was an original way, but... She was Brittany, and the two of them had kissed thousands of times in their life. Obviously the blonde didn't felt the same. Santana took one long breath and put on her white coat. She was ready to fight for another day at the Lima _Santa Rita_ ER.

* * *

><p>"Hey Will! I've been neglecting you these days, haven't I?" Brittany was laying down on the floor cuddling her lifelong friend, Will.<p>

Will, her dog, had never abandoned her and had always been there for her, no matter where she would end up staying. That's why she was playing a little bit with him today.

She had just left Ms Ripley's house. The old woman had worriedly asked her for updates on Adrian's condition, since she hadn't seen the younger girl in days. The two women were very close. Often Adrian would spend her time with the older woman, drawing for her. It was probably because her sister saw the woman like she was her own grandmother.

Brittany knew that her sister liked to think of the older woman as an anchor, during the times when she was missing her parents.

Brittany left the house. She still didn't know what to do. She would go for a walk and maybe check the job ads to see if there was something interesting. It could be a good way to start her day. Maybe her destiny would guide her, like in the past.

Lately she'd always interpreted every little thing that happened to her like a sign of fate. And every single time she dashed to meet it with a smile on her face. Although, she didn't know what to think about her meeting with Santana.

"Hey beautiful, what are you doing here all alone on the wrong side of the town?"

Brittany whirled around ready to reply harshly at the teasing man, but then she saw a familiar face and mohawked hairdo, smirking at her from a car. The car had a huge sign that said : "_Lima Express, your Pizza how and where you want, just a few minutes from home". _The man in question was smiling at her.

"Puckerman." she exclaimed then.

Brittany smiled, genuinely happy to see him.

"Where are you going? You need a lift?" he winked at her.

Brittany shrugged and, without a second thought, got into the car.

"So, where am I taking you, my lovely lady?"

"I don't know... I was going to check the job ads." She replied showing him the paper.

"Are you searching for a job, sweety? Why? Didn't you have one?" He asked.

"Yeah... You said it right: I _had_ a job... I worked in a coffee shop, but my boss was an asshole. So, before he had the chance to raise his hands on me, I forestalled him and gave him a massive back pain for a few days." She said satisfied.

Puck looked at her puzzled, and, raising an eyebrow, said

"Baby, remind me to never make you angry!" The two friend burst out laughing.

Noah invited her to lunch in one of his favorite restaurants in Lima. They chatted about their lives: Brittany told him about the last ten years of her life spent as a wanderer and he told her about how he'd created himself a respectable life, even though everybody had never taken him seriously.

"Wow Britt, you've changed so much. And you really did become one hell of an hot woman!" He said.

"Are you coming on to me, Puckerman?" She asked with probing eyes before grinning madly.

"No, I could never do that, you are way too out of my league!" He confessed, smiling.

Right then his thoughts went back to his best friend and to the desperate tears she had shed the day before. He understood how she could have felt confused seeing Brittany. She was so different from the goofy teenager they had once known, and so grown up: Brittany had surely turned out to be even more fascinating than before.

* * *

><p>Santana's morning at work had been infernal.<p>

There had been an awful accident in town with numerous cars involved and several injured people. Santana's ward was full of bleeding and screaming patients. On top of that she had to hover over her faltering interns. The poor kids were making a mess after the other.

She was now heading to the cafeteria to have lunch. She had decided to eat something before going back to work. Her shift was almost over, but she still had things to do. It would take at least two hours before she could go home and she couldn't keep on working without eating something.

In the distance she noticed Blaine in a row with some colleagues. She tried to hide. It was the last thing she needed, meeting him and inevitably talking about what he'd saw that night outside his club.

She was rushing to pay for a sandwich when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey!"

She rolled her eyes and tried to put one of her famous fake smile on.

"Hey, Songbird! How are you?"

"I'm good... How about you, Santana? I've heard there's been a little trouble this morning. Do you need some help?" He asked with a warm smile.

"Yeah... No, don't worry! Above all just a lot of broken bones and a few stitches. It served to keep my _kids_ on their toes. Nothing that important to bother Surgery." She said tauntingly.

"Ah well, sometimes even I would like to fix some broken bones, without having to cut open people." Blaine replied.

Santana smiled awkwardly because she knew that they had run out of general topics.

Sure enough Blaine finally mustered up the courage, "Did you have fun at the opening?"

Santana couldn't believe that her friend would have been so brazen.

"Well... Apart from the moment you forced me to sing... Yes, I had a wonderful night in an amazing club." she replied trying to divert _the topic_ focusing on other moments of the party.

"_You_ were amazing! And seeing you on stage again, singing with all that passion! It surely has been a dive into the past." He replied before pausing for a moment to look into his friend's eyes and then he went on, "It 's been wonderful to see Brittany again too. I imagine it's been intense for you."

Santana stopped chewing. In spite of her best efforts, Blaine had managed to bring up _the topic_.

"What I saw in your eyes when you were singing... and the passion I felt when I saw the two of you together outside... You touched me!" He covered his heart with his hands.

Santana couldn't reply. She tried to open her mouth time and time again, but no sound left her lips, not even some cursed words to shut him up.

"It can't be simple for you, and I know it... Believe me I understand it. It' not simple to be with someone you have loved but then someone else comes and you see who the right person is and... You realize you don't love them anymore, because...In the end, your heart..."

"Blaine!" she yelled, garing at Blaine. She made some people from the nearby table turn around at the shout.

"You don't have to be afraid to show your true feelings to me, Santana. It's been difficult for me too, leaving Kurt. He was my certainty and everybody looked at us as _Blaine and Kurt_, _Kurt and Blaine_, a one inseparable entity. But in the end, it wasn't what we wanted and you know it well. You just have to find the courage. And when I found it and left Kurt for Sebastian… Well, it's been the single most painful decision of my life, but at the same time the thing that made me the happiest."

The young doctor kept on talking. Santana incredulously watched him, increasingly tightening her gaze. She would have jumped on him and beat him up until his face warped. But she didn't want to draw any more attention to them. Their colleagues were already staring at them intrigued.

"Blaine... Blaine, stop it! Shit!" She whispered to his face with teeth so gritted that the man opened his eyes wide in fear.

"I have no intention to leave Adam. And stop fussing so much about my love life! You left one man for another. My situation is completely different!" She glared at him.

"But... but... the other night..."

"It was just a kiss! What the hell are you talking about? All of this came from nothing! We don't need to have this conversation, especially not here!" She said scanning the room.

"But I thought that... really, now that Brittany is back... that the two of you... well, you suffered a lot for her and I thought that..." He scratched his head awkwardly, maybe he had been too hasty on that matter.

"Ok, so, what word did you not understand of '_it was just a kiss_?' ", she burst out furiously, "We haven't even see each other again after that night, and you already talk about leaving Adam and everything else? God, are you gays always so melodramatic? And to think that, when you were with Kurt, you were the sober one!" She brought a hand to her forehead, dejected.

"So, what you are telling me is that there was nothing between you two, right? That the song meant nothing to you? Ok, _I am_ the delusional one! I only just want to tell you something, Doctor Lopez! You are not a fearful teenager anymore, scared of what your classmates think of you. You are a 30 years old grown woman. You should not care about what the other people say. You should just do what makes you happy. You shouldn't stay locked-up in a safe box for all your life." Blaine looked intensely into her eyes, before standing up and walking away, leaving the brunette speechless.

Santana remained pensive for a moment. Then, sighing, she resumed eating her sandwich, before going back to work.

XXX

Santana spent the rest of her time signing and filling out paperwork.

She couldn't stop thinking about Blaine's words. She got so angry because, at heart, she knew everything he had told her was the truth. Okay, things were not that dramatic like he made them seem. She still hadn't spoken to Brittany about what happened that night. It occurred to her that Brittany still hadn't replied to her text. Santana was going incredibly crazy. So she decided to take the matter into her own hands, just like an adult, and wrote another text to her blonde friend.

'_Maybe we need to talk about what happened, don't you think? Tell me when.'_

Then Santana stopped torturing herself. If Brittany wanted to clear the air, she just had to reply to her. Simple as that.

After some minutes her cellphone rang. She glanced at the display and replied.

"Puck, I'm still at work. I'll call you later." She said curtly.

"Hey, what a hurry! Come on, you know that if you want, you can stay on the phone for how long you like in there." The man retorted.

"Ok what do you want? I'm working."

"There's someone here who wants to talk to you. She was terribly sad, so I decided to do something good today." Santana listened puzzled to her friend's nonsense talk. Then she heard a rustling noise as if Puck was passing the cell to somebody else.

Her heart stopped beating when she heard the unmistakable, "Hey."

Santana immediately softened her voice.

"Hey." That was the only word she could utter, she was completely floored.

"Please forgive me if I didn't reply sooner, but I don't have any money left in my cell. So, after I read your last text, I asked Puck if I could borrow his phone." Brittany said all at once.

Suddenly Santana felt even more like an idiot. Among the thousand dramatic options she thought about, she failed to look for the simplest one. As for drama, she wasn't that different from Blaine.

"Oh... Don't worry about it, Britt." She only replied.

"Okay..." The blonde said

"Okay..." Santana answered back.

Puck observed the blonde's embarrassment and smiled warmly, imagining Santana's face on the other end.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Brittany took courage, "So... we can meet up, just like you wrote me... That is... Whenever you want."

"Oh... Yes... yes, of course... I still have two hours left at the hospital. We can meet after that, I can come to your place." The brunette said.

"Okay, cool."

"Okay... So I'll see you later, Britt" At the thought a smile burst out on her lips.

"See you later, San" Brittany replied, ending the call.

Her heart began racing impetuously, they would see each other very soon.

"Come on Santana, try to be a little more rational!" She spoke out loud.

XXX

She was walking to her car after the end of her shift, when her cell rang again.

"Fabray! It's been a long time since I've heard from you!"

"Hi, darling." the blonde said.

From her friend's voice and greeting, Santana immediately knew something was wrong. Quinn rarely called her _darling_. She only did that when there was some bad news or she was comforting her.

"Is everything ok?" she asked then

"More or less. Where are you?"

"What do you mean _more or less_? I'm just leaving the hospital. I have an appointment." She didn't want to tell Quinn she was going to Brittany, at least not before knowing how their talk would go.

"With whom?" Quinn asked

"What are you doing? Are you watching me?"

"No... No, you are joking, right? It's just that... Well, I have to tell you something, San..." Quinn spoke out. She couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm listening." the brunette's voice became serious.

"Well... Yesterday I meet Brittany at the clinic... We talked for a while..."

Quinn was stalling. Santana was dying with worry, so she stopped her.

"Come on Quinn! Go straight to the point, what's the matter?"

"Well San, I know I shouldn't be the one telling you... But maybe it's better if you know it before she... So maybe you'll get the chance to talk to her..."

"Quinn? You are seriously annoying me!" The Latina said, her heart racing like crazy with worry.

"Ok... Brittany wants to leave again. For everybody's sake and because she lost her job too!"

At those words, the brunette swallowed again and again. Her eyes were open wide and she felt a deranged and irrational fear in her heart. Now she finally understood when Quinn talked about some of her patients having a relapse and reliving a big trauma. She felt terrified and began shivering. Suddenly she realized why Brittany was with Puck, maybe he was one of the few people she wanted to say goodbye to, before leaving. Before running away again. She closed her eyes and tears fell down her cheeks.

"San... San, darling, please talk to me... How are you?" Quinn's worried voice brought her back to reality, if only for a moment.

"I... I'm going to her, Quinn... I'll call you later." She said very slowly.

"Santana! Please, try to calm down and do things right... If you need me, just call me, okay? And I'll be there in a moment, even at Brittany's, okay?" she quickly said

"O-Okay... I have to go." She ended the call, without even waiting for her friend's reply.

Santana threw her cell on the passenger seat and, panicking at the news, she broke down and cried. Immediately she thought she couldn't make it for a second time, she couldn't let Brittany leave like that again. She felt a throbbing pain in her chest and an uncontrollable desire to hold Brittany and beg her to not do that to her again. She was totally sure that, based on her feelings, she would go completely mad at that umpteenth abandonment.

With an angry jump, she started the car and set forth to Brittany's place. She trembled all along the way, but she continued driving like a madwoman as if she was afraid to be too late.

She reached the house and saw that the gate was already opened. She walked towards the basement and began pounding on the door unrelenting.

"Yes, hey, I'm coming!"

Brittany opened the door.

"What a hurry Lopez! You couldn't wait to see... What's the matter?" Brittany immediately stopped talking as soon as she met Santana's tear-stained face. She noticed her friend's body shook with unstoppable tremblings.

"Please don't do it..." she said as Brittany moved from the door to let her enter and then closed it, sending Will out.

Santana was looking at her with eyes full of tears and Brittany couldn't fathom the reason why.

"Brittany... you can't do this to me again. Not just after I got you back. Not just after that kiss that turned my soul upside-down!" Still begging, she closed the distance between them.

"You can't come back into my life after all this time, not after I've been hurting for years! And then what... You decide to leave again? I couldn't bear it... Not now, not again Brittany! Do you understand?"

She yelled madly while Brittany could only stare at her, shocked by her frantic behavior. Brittany had never seen Santana in such a state. Only in that moment she understood how much really the brunette had suffered. How much Santana had hurt because of her, because in all those years she hadn't found the courage to look for her. She hadn't even tried to call her or to tell her that, despite everything, she was okay.

"How can you think that the only solution is to run away? To run away from all of this? From me... From us, Britt? Don't you understand? It doesn't make sense! Do you understand that all this is wrong? That..."

Santana couldn't even finish her desperate speech. Suddenly Brittany's hands were on her face. And Brittany's intense gaze was on her. Brittany looked at her so deeply that made her breathless. Santana didn't even had the time to realize she was crying too, that she felt Brittany's lips clinging strongly to hers.

A heated kiss that left them both breathless. There wasn't an ounce of romanticism in it. But that kiss brought along anger, confusion, frustration, sadness and a desperate longing for one another.

Santana kissed Brittany's soft lips so passionately that, at a certain point, she had to pull away in order to breathe, because Brittany, in her ardor, didn't even give her the time to do it. She broke the kiss and took Brittany in her arms. She tightened her hold as they cried, panting.

Without thinking too much, the brunette moved to the soft and exquisite neck in front of her and kissed it making Brittany moan. The blonde's head turned to give Santana more room, while she continued to hold her close. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment and the brunette longingly recaptured Brittany's mouth. She didn't think about the consequences, not in that moment. She wanted to feel free, free to love Brittany, like her body had longed for since the first time they met.

While kissing her, Brittany peeled the shirt off Santana. She then guided her to the bed and made the brunette lay down. A pleased smile came out on Santana's face as she too undressed the woman in front of her.

The blonde moved on top of her and began passionately kissing her neck. After a few minutes she dipped down to her chest, meeting the breasts she still remembered vividly, but that every single time felt like a sweet new discovery. She couldn't resist anymore and took the bra off and, cherishing that perfect beauty, decided to dive in and taste them. The brunette continued to moan and writhe beneath her.

Everything happened so quickly. They found themselves naked, one on top of the other. It appeared that in a remote corner of their memory, the way they made love to each other had remained the same as 12 years ago. Brittany perfectly remembered how kissing Santana behind the ear or running her tongue right there made the brunette go crazy. So she pulled back from her breast and went back to the Latina's face. They stared at each other eyes for a few endless moment and then Brittany immediately moved to her ear, making her moan with pleasure.

"Britt... Oh Brittany!" Santana exclaimed as she rolled her hips up to meet the blonde's.

Brittany went back to her lips. She needed to feel them again. Her mouth desired Santana's desperately. For a long time she had missed those lips, their flavor. She had searched for it in many people during all those years, and she had never found it. It had never been the same.

The blonde slid down to Santana's hips. The brunette was openly panting, rocking her hips up and down rapidly. That sight aroused Brittany even more. She found out that the body of the woman beneath her was just as perfect as the cheerleader Santana Lopez's she remembered. She ran her tongue on the abs contours, feeling her lover dying with pleasure. Santana managed to grab the blonde face in her hands and, with eyes full of desire, spoke quickly.

"Britt, Britt... Brittany... Please... I can't take it anymore" she said desperate.

The blonde nodded at that heartfelt request and moved down her body, instantly feeling the wetness that already pooled between Santana's legs. A the sight, Brittany felt a shiver running along her back. Like it was the world most precious thing, she gently touched it. She felt her lover tremble at the contact and lift up her hips more and more to meet her mouth. Brittany savored the juice of that beautiful fruit and brought the latina to ecstasy. Santana came, crying out in pleasure, gripping tightly the bedsheets with her hands.

Exhausted, the blonde rested her head on the brunette stomach.

Santana grabbed her head and whispered to her.

"Come here." She said, pulling her towards her face before kissing passionately.

They stared into each other eyes for an endless time. The brunette saw Brittany's desperate gaze and knew how regretful she was for making her suffer that much. Santana would had like to just tell her that, right there, with what had happened moments ago, she was already on her way to forgiveness. But all she did was hugging her, pressing the blonde naked body closer to hers. They cried together for all the emotions that their lovemaking brought and for all the desperate awareness of how much they had suffered in the past.

Exhausted, they fell asleep.

When she woke up after a few hours, Santana realized immediately what had happened. She smiled content, feeling an happiness she hadn't experienced in a long time. She felt alive. She felt a desperate longing for Brittany. She would have loved to keep Brittany just like that in her arms for all her life, not caring about anything or anybody. She would gladly have stayed down there with her, away from the outside world forever.

She rolled back to look at her lover. Brittany was so beautiful lying on her stomach. Her body had changed a lot, and, in the heat of their lovemaking, Santana didn't had the time to truly observe it. She truly was a sight for sore eyes.

The sheet covered up only half of her bottom. Right there, on the exposed skin, Santana noticed a tattoo. She leaned in to get a better look and smiled: it depicted a rainbow. She even found some scars spread all over Brittany's back. She pushed her eyes up and noticed another tattoo, an unicorn, on her right shoulder. She immediately remembered how much her Britt loved unicorns and that she even suggested it as the symbol for Kurt campaign ad for the high school president election. She even remembered how she always repeated to Brittany that _she_ was the only special and magical being in the world and how much those words always touched Brittany deeply.

She turned on the side resting her head on the elbow. She then softly followed the contours of that amazing body, like she was in front of a masterpiece. That tattooed body was incredibly sexy.

Brittany sighed waking up. She locked eyes with Santana and smiled warmly. The brunette scoot closer for a quick kiss on the lips. Brittany gave her room and kept on kissing her before burying her face in Santana's neck.

"You are so beautiful." Santana whispered.

"Mmmm not like you... You are truly breathtaking!" the blonde replied making her smile

Brittany leaned over for another kiss. It felt like she couldn't live without it anymore. And the thought produced a contented smile in the brunette.

"I was looking at you tattoos." Santana said then.

"Do you like them?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, they make you even more desirable."

Brittany winked at her, rejoicing at the compliment just received.

"I dated a tattoo artist for some time... so I gained free tattoos." She told her, noticing that the brunette suddenly clouded over.

Brittany rolled over flat on her back and stretched an arm so that Santana could nestle comfortably on her chest.

"Don't you want to know their meaning?" she asked then while Santana made herself comfortable wrapped tightly in her arms. The brunette nodded.

"When I decided to leave all my childhood fantasies behind, I thought to brand them on my body to preserve their memory. And then there's a special one..."

Brittany pointed at one tattoo on the left part of her chest, right on her heart.

It was very little and she hadn't noticed it before. It was a heart with a key at its center. She recognized the heart of the necklaces they had given to each other when they were together. She had the heart and Brittany the key. Santana remembered Brittany telling her that since she hold the key to her heart, nobody could ever open it, except her. Brittany gave her the necklace the day she went away, to show her that she was giving her her heart and that Santana had to look after it, because it would never be anybody's but hers.

The brunette turned around and watched Brittany's eyes slowly glassing over.

"I had to sell it because I needed to eat. It was the last thing I sold. At first I didn't want to because it meant a lot to me... But it was inevitable, I was starving to death." She said as a tear fell down "But before selling it, I asked Andreas to reproduce it near my heart. Obviously, it wasn't the same but at least I will have it with me forever." She continued.

Santana felt a warmth spreading throughout her body. She felt incredibly happy to hear that. Regardless everything Brittany went through, the blonde had never stopped thinking about her. That happiness flooded her whole body. She didn't know what to say to that so she decided to lean in and just kiss the blonde softly.

Brittany pulled back, stared at her and smiled.

"And for the record... Miss Drama Girl, Puck offered me a job, and... I accepted. He even offered me a low rent for half of his huge apartment."

Santana widened her eyes and mouth, incredulously.

"Really?" She asked while the blonde already nodded amused.

"Wow! And here I thought that Rachel Berry was the dramatic one among us... But, growing-up, Santana Lopez, you surely outdo her by far!" She stated grinning.

"It's all Quinn's fault... I'll get back at her!" Santana replied, grumpily.

"She knew only a part of the situation... And the truth is, I don't know if we have to get back at her or thank her." she smiled naughtily.

Santana moved closer and whispered on her lips "You are right." Before kissing her again.

They remained in silence for a moment, holding each other close, as they tried to imagine the other thoughts.

Santana took courage and finally said,

"What do we do now, Brittany?" With voice broken from worry.

"I don't know San... For now, I just want to relish this moment." And the blonde tightened her hold on her, as Santana began to tremble.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for the long wait but I had a lot of trouble with this chapter's translation, especially with the last part. I hope I did a good job! <strong>

**Thanks to everybody who read, review and follow this story! Thank you all!**


	10. Lies

Santana's head was laying on Brittany's chest. The brunette sighed contently, losing herself to the blonde's slow and steady breathing. The morning light had already seeped through the dark basement.

Santana didn't have a wink of sleep the night before. She had been too scared to fall asleep. Afraid to wake up and realize it had all been a dream. Certainly a beautiful dream, but a dream nonetheless.

The night before they had made love time and time again. It was like they couldn't find peace with all those moans and sexual desire. Like they had an endless craving for each other. They had took a few breaks of course but then, inevitably, they'd always went back to taste, kiss and hold each other, unrelentingly hungry. It was like they were trying to mark their bodies with their lovemaking.

Brittany had fallen asleep exhausted and Santana was trying to move as little as possible to not wake her up. Right then the brunette found herself staring at the small tattoo near the blonde's heart and she couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her lips.

She reached out to trace the profile of the symbol of their love that the blonde had wanted indelible on her body.

Brittany sighed, slowly opening her eyes. Santana smiled softly, she couldn't wait to see those amazing eyes and hear that incredible voice again.

"Hey," The blonde mirrored her smile. She tried to stretch a little without having Santana move from her place on her chest.

"Good morning" she said before lowering her lips to Santana's.

At the touch, Santana shivered. It felt like it had been ages since she woke up that happy. Ages since her heart throbbed in that way while catching someone else eyes.

She was dying to tell Brittany about all the feeling floading through her. She had wanted to share her soul with her lover during those hours spent loving each other, but she had been unable to do it. So right then she just continued to gaze at her lovingly, hoping with everything that she had, that the blonde would understand the meaning of that look.

Getting the idea, Brittany smiled and kissed her at once.

It was after that gentle and, at the same time, heated kiss that Santana decided to say something.

"Brittany, I... I..." The blonde kept on looking at her with that wise and determined gaze that intimidated and floored her.

"I... Oh God Britt... It was amazing, beautiful... I felt like I have been waiting for that moment all my life, it was like... Britt, I think..."

"San!" Brittany suddenly cut her off, taking her face in her hands. The brunette got scared and looked at her with eyes wide open. The blonde decided to soften her voice after her initial shout.

"San... Please, don't do it... Don't say it... I don't want you to say things you could regret in the future." She looked at her honestly, with no trace of fear.

"But... But I... Britt."

"San, It's been fantastic for me too. Really. It felt like I was in heaven. There was only you and me. Nothing could have ever touched us while we were making love like that." She sprinkled a soft kiss on Santana's lips. The brunette closed her eyes, beginning to tremble in fear at those words. "But... let's slow down, okay?" The blonde continued after she pulled away.

"What do you mean?" Santana asked, hesitantly.

"It means we have to go slow, we have to start over... Our lives, especially yours, are messed up right now, Santana! Let's take everything slowly... We have to learn to know each other again, even if it seems that ours bodies haven't forgotten about the other." She smiled, making Santana relax a little bit.

"This means that..." The brunette faltered.

"It doesn't mean anything, San. Well... It does mean something, but nothing dramatic or tragic." At that moment the brunette smiled, remembering all her high school friend's contorted speeches, "For now, let's take things day after day, okay?" The blonde suggested.

"Ok"

Anything Brittany would have asked her, except to never see each other anymore, it would have been okay for Santana. The brunette felt like a drug addict suddenly relapsing after years of detox therapy. And the more time passed, the more difficult it would be to get out of that tunnel. She wasn't even sure if she wanted out.

The blonde grinned pleased at her own proposition accepted. Then, with a catlike move, she jumped on the Latina. She dove into her neck, tickling and giving her raspberries. Like two little girls they burst out laughing, rolling on the bed.

"What do you want to do now, Miss _Carpe Diem_?" The young doctor asked looking at her amused.

"Mmmm... Believe me, I would gladly just stay here in bed with you or even do something more interesting together... But today I would like to move mine and Adrian's things to Puck's. There's not much so it will take maybe just an hour. And then I have to figure out what the hell my new boss wants me to do." She said rolling her eyes "You? Aside from being a young business woman, without a husband for a week, what are you going to do?"

"Today I have the night shift and, considering you didn't let me sleep at all last night..."She gave her a flick on the nose, "I should sleep a few hours... But I can help you with the moving. I can drive you to Puck's. After all I don't think you need to take your furniture to that magnificent house... About that, he cares so much about that house that he will never let you touch anything at all!"

"Don't worry, we already have a deal: no rent, I'll clean up the house and he'll cook... It does seem like a good compromise, don't you think?" she winked at her.

"Mmmmm I'm not that sure, considering he is dirty like a pig and his room is always a mess." Santana said doubtful.

"I'll keep him in line... And I'm used to worse, believe me!" she replied, giving her a fleeting kiss before leaving her alone on the bed.

"Are you hungry? You have to rebuild your strength after last night." she turned around with a naughty smile on her face.

After that heated gaze, Santana lost her breath for a second and, grinning like a schoolgirl, said "I'm so hungry!"

"Good... Bacon and eggs ready at your table!" She displayed her perfect waiter behavior.

Santana got up and ran to give her a hug. She encircled her waist, tightening the blonde to her body. It was like she couldn't even breathe, let alone live, without that woman near her. Brittany let herself be lulled by that sweet and delightful embrace and closed her eyes for a few minutes.

It had been a long time she hadn't felt that good and truly loved. She was deeply moved at the thought.

"I'm so happy." Santana softly whispered into her ear.

Brittany turned around to better look into the brunette's eyes. She caressed her cheek and whispered softly "Me too... And after so long" before sealing her confession with a tender kiss.

Brittany didn't know if they were going too fast, especially with words. She was afraid because in the past Santana had never opened herself up and expressed her feelings without a care in the world. Maybe the brunette had changed through the years. And maybe after losing her, Santana regretted never confessing completely what her heart truly felt for her. And maybe that was the reason why, right then, the brunette was totally rambling. Brittany decided to let herself go too, after all, she had always lived her life day-to-day. At the present she was truly happy to have Santana in her arms again, having the chance to love her again.

"Is it okay if I take a shower?" The brunette asked her.

"Of course, go ahead... I'll give you something mine to wear... even if my clothes don't suit the sexy Doctor Lopez very much." Brittany said, slapping the brunette's ass as Santana walked to the bathroom winking and wiggling her hips seductively.

XXX

They were eating breakfast when Brittany's cell went off. It was Puck calling her to make arrangements for the day. Brittany barely had set the phone down when Santana covered her mouth with her hands and yelled.

"Shit! My phone! I've left it in the car yesterday" She was upset.

Brittany looked at her perplexed. She didn't even had the time to realize where Santana's bag was that the brunette was already running out of the basement, car keys in hand.

Santana grabbed her cellphone from her car and noticed it was off. Obviously it had run out of charge because of the too many calls. She hastily walked back to the basement and searched for the charger in her bag. She immediately plugged it in the first socket she found and anxiously waited for her phone to come back to life. Brittany just watched Santana in silence: she was completely dazed at the brunette evident anxiety.

"Oh fuck! Adam called me about twenty times and Quinn thirty!" she passed a hand through her hair desperate before turning to Brittany, who was still at the table watching her.

"Christ! What do I do now? What do I tell them? Who do I call first? Brittany, help me!" Santana yelled.

Noticing the brunette's trembling hands, Brittany calmly got up and walked to her, trying to soothe her with her smiles.

"Hey! San... Calm down..." She only manage to tell her as the brunette stared at her with eyes wide open, scared to death.

Santana's cell immediately rang. Clearly someone who tried to call her earlier received the notice that she was again available.

"Oh God, it's Adam... What do I do now?" Santana was desperate.

"You should answer before he call the police concerned!" Brittany said.

"Ok, but what do I tell him?"

"I don't know... Did you never had a shift change? Or were you never called in for an emergency?" the blonde asked.

"Perfect!" Santana pointed at her, happy for her idea and her extremely lucidity.

"Ok... You can do it!" Brittany nodded with a smile, taking her hand.

"Hey!" She tried to be as calm as possible.

"Santana, where the hell have you been? I called you billion of times, before falling asleep with the phone still in my hand!" Adam yelled at her.

"I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you that yesterday I had a double shift. Set had some problems and asked me to cover for him." She told him looking at Brittany, who nodded tightening her hold.

"Fuck! Why do it always have to be you? Why don't they ask somebody else? And more than anything, give me some warning, damn!" Adam always got mad when her wife was so generous, especially at work.

"I know baby... But last night there was a mess at the hospital. I'm completely exhausted, I've finished just now." She met Brittany's eyes. The blonde had smiled tensely at her when she'd heard the word _baby_ and, after breaking her hold, had gone back to the table.

Santana talked to Adam for some minutes. Listening to the conversation, Brittany realized her previous words had been right. All those calls, the lost phone and everything else had abruptly brought her back to reality. Suddenly the world, that she had closed out the night before to be with Santana, came crashing back. She didn't know if they would ever go back together, but she surely knew that Santana had to sort out many things in and outside herself.

Closing the conversation with Adam, the brunette immediately called Quinn. She had to spend a lot of time just to calm her friend down. Quinn had answered the phone in tears, worried that her friend had been sick and couldn't call her. The young psychiatrist was extremely angry because Santana hadn't even thought to send her a message to reassure her and closed the call with "_Fuck off Santana!"_, leaving the brunette speechless.

The brunette sat down on the bed, head in her hands. She was completely gutted by those calls, by the lies she had told Adam and the fight with Quinn. She continued to ask herself why, after a moment so incredibly beautiful with Brittany, that torture had to come.

Brittany knew that she should have left Santana alone. She didn't know if her presence would be appreciated in that moment, after all she was the reason of all the pain the brunette was feeling at the moment. But she decided to approach her nonetheless. She couldn't bear to see her in such a state.

"Hey... Are you ok?" She knelt down in front of her, pulling the brunette hands away from the forehead.

Santana looked at her finding solace in those honest eyes. So she decided to lose herself in the blonde's arms and cried. Brittany silently tightened her hold and let her unload, feeling terribly bad for her.

She waited for Santana to calm down and, pulling away, she said, "Listen, I can call Puck to help me with the moving. Go to Quinn, you two need to talk." She caressed her face, brushing away some locks that had remained stuck by the tears.

Santana looked at her. Brittany was so beautiful, so serene and self-confident. The brunette would have loved to take refuge in her arms forever, because only there she could feel strong. But those last calls had brought her back to earth. She knew she couldn't hide with Brittany forever, because Santana had built a life with great effort and passion when the blonde wasn't there.

"I... I... Britt I... No... I'll go with you." She said.

"San... I know how to go by myself. Don't worry about it. Right now there are more important things." She softly replied.

Santana broke down and cried. Her head was completely in a whirl. She felt scared, anxious, tense of what the future would hold. But, at the same time, she didn't want to leave Brittany. She didn't want to lose all the feelings and sensations she had felt that night.

Brittany was moved seeing Santana in such a state, so she laid a hand on her cheek and leaned over for a gentle kiss.

"Everything will be ok, you'll see." She whispered brushing against her lips.

To the brunette that kiss was like a balm for her soul, soothing all her wounds and protecting her heart with a delicate layer.

"Please don't leave me, please." The brunette begged.

"I'm here San... I'm not going anywhere... for how long you want me... if you want me here... I'll be right here!" she spoke strongly, watching Santana calm visibly down at her words.

XXX

They said their goodbyes. It seemed that Santana didn't want to go. She continued to ask her for reassuring kisses because she knew that she would have to face Quinn and she needed all the comfort the blonde's kisses could give her.

Brittany walked with her to the gate and watched her drive away with her dog next to her. She closed the gate and leaned against it with the back of her head, puffing from the tension of the past hours. Will licked her hand, just like he wanted to soothe her. Brittany knelt down to stroke his head

"I know... It's not going to be easy."

She then ran to Ms. Ripley to inform her of her moving. She would never abandon her, she would never do that. Brittany promise herself to go visit the old woman at least once a week and to search for somebody to work there in her place.

* * *

><p>Santana went home before heading to Quinn's private office. She couldn't show up with those clothes which obviously screamed <em>Brittany<em> all over. While she decided if telling Quinn all the truth or only a part, she crossed a photo of Adam and herself on the bedside table.

It was the photo of their wedding. Adam had picked her up in his arms making her laugh. Both had a beautiful and serene smile on their faces. She grabbed the photo in her hands and a tear fell down on her cheek. She loved Adam, she truly loved him. He had made her feel good for all those years, and he had given her back a bit of that happiness that she had been missing after Brittany's leaving.

XXX

She had been parked in front of Dr. Fabray's office for 20 minutes. She had just remained seated there, repeatedly hitting the wheel with her hand, taking long and regular breaths, trying to calm down. She shook her head and spoke out loud.

"Stop! Come on, it's just Quinn... You can't just end a friendship because of a cinch!"

She go out and violently closed the car door.

"Doctor Lopez, welcome! Doctor Fabray still has a patient in, but I'll immediately let her know you are here!" The secretary told her as she greeted her.

"I'll wait out for her, thank you Silvia" She said, taking a seat in the waiting room, and began to leaf through a magazine.

XXX

After about twenty minutes later the patient came out of the door. Doctor Fabray appeared at the threshold of her office without even considering her friend worthy of a glance and walked over to her secretary.

"It's all for today, Silvia, you can go home. I'll close the office today." she told her before looking at Santana for a second and motioning her (with her head) to enter the study.

Quinn leaned on her desk, crossing her arms. She gave the entering brunette a dirty look.

"What the hell happened for you not to answer my calls?" She told her angry.

"I left my cell in the car. I realized where I had left it only the morning after." Santana dared to say softly staring at the ground.

"Oh well, Doctor Lopez should have been incredibly busy to forget her cell for all that time!"

Quinn was clearly hurt. Because she had been left worried after their last call and, more than anything else, because Santana hadn't even cared to let her know she was ok. She had forget about her and Quinn, her best friend Quinn Fabray, couldn't stand it. And Santana knew that very well.

"Q. I..." She tried to get closer to the desk.

"You... I don't give a shit, Santana! I was close to have a heart attack! I thought something had happened to you! I even thought about calling Adam to know if he had some kind of information... Do you realized it, San?"

Santana didn't know what to say, if not mentally thanking Quinn for having resisted to call Adam, because that would have been the end.

"I can explain..." she said still not meeting her friend's eyes.

"You don't have anything to explain... It's easy to gather you have slept with Brittany. How has it been? A night of sex before letting her go again?" Quinn realized she was using very harsh words but she was too much angry with her in that moment. She couldn't understand how her friend could have been so impulsive in that situation without bewaring the thousand of consequences.

Santana lifted her gaze at her friend's bitter words.

"She is not leaving. Puck offered her a job and a rent of half of his house."

"Oh well... Puck! Just what we needed for a rebel wanderer... Imagine the wonderful soiree between the two of them, highly educational!" she gesticulated while she moved to the other hand of the desk.

"Quinn, what the hell are you saying? We are talking about Brittany here!" Santana burst out. She couldn't take it anymore, she felt that uncalled judgment was too much.

"Exactly San, we are talking about Brittany! Brittany, who has reappeared after twelve years and you, like a possessed schoolgirl, have completely lost your mind!" Quinn hastily stepped towards her and, grabbing her shoulders, she shook her yelling "Santana, open your eyes, damn! You are a married woman, you have an honest job! Don't fuck everything up just because of an adolescent crush!" Looking intensely into her friend's eyes to firmly make her point.

At the same instant she spoke those words, Quinn realized it was nonsense. She perfectly knew Brittany wasn't a simple crush to Santana. She knew they were born to be together and nothing could ever stop the chemistry between them. But she was scared for Santana and wanted to protect her after having to watch her pain and tears through the years. She wasn't sure it would be a good idea for Santana to leave everything behind at that moment in her her life, to pursue a relationship that had already ended many years before.

She turned around to watch the brunette's reaction. Santana was noticeably shaken and wide-eyed as she tightened her fists.

"I thought you were the only one in the world who could understand me about this thing... But obviously I was wrong." Santana spoke calmly "You always told me you would be on my side, no matter what."

"But I am on your side, San." the blonde closed the distance and stroke her friend's cheek. She was extremely upset by the bitter words that were leaving Santana's mouth "I tell you these things only because I'm on your side and I know what's the right thing for you."

"You can't know what is the right thing for me! You don't know how I feel, how I felt last night with her! You know nothing, Quinn!" she screamed pulling away from her friend's hold.

"You have to stop, Santana! You are rushing things too much, don't you understand? Everything happened hastily. You felt into a vortex and you are surrendering without even fighting... But you don't know where this vortex will take you!"

"Oh come on, Fabray! You can't fool me with your shrink bullshit! I found Brittany again and I'm happy!" she said crossing her arms.

"Ok... What about Adam then? What are you going to do? You will tell him everything, right? Or are you going to lead a double life from now on? Because you should know I have a special price for patient afflicted with dual personality!" she spread her arms nervously.

"You don't understand... You don't really get it, Quinn!" Santana shook her head, looking at her friend sorely disappointed.

"I only understand that you are on a dangerous path, so taken with the passion of the moment, San! I love you... I have to tell you these things, because you have to heard them from somebody!"

Santana snorted and, grabbing her purse, she turned on her heel and left the office.

"Perfect... Run away! Here you are, the old Santana Lopez! Welcome reversion!" Quinn yelled before slamming her study door and making a run for the couch, crying nervously.

* * *

><p>She was at the hospital for her night shift. She had been there for only two hours and already had sent away: a too apprehensive husband of a woman with colic, an intern who had spilled a blood phial that she had just barely taken from a patient with blood vessels pretty much non existent, and she even had told one of her colleague from Neurology to get lost when he wanted her to take charge of two of his patients so not to occupy two of his precious beds.<p>

She locked herself in her study for a few minutes. She needed to breathe. She had thought about nothing else but her fight with Quinn. And about her words, so hard but so true too. She knew Quinn loved her, and she was certain she loved Brittany just the same, that was why the psychiatrist was so worried for them.

At that moment she longed to feel Brittany's reassuring embrace. Alternatively she would make do with only staring at the depth of those blue eyes, or her comforting smile. At the cell ring, she woke up from her thoughts and smiled as soon as she read the caller ID.

"Am I disturbing you, Doctor Lopez?"

"Not at all... I'm just surprised, you should be working too right now." she smiled.

"And indeed I am... Can you come out for a minute to the ER parking?" the blonde asked.

Santana brightened up and, like a little girl, ran out her office, without even giving Brittany an answer.

Santana immediately saw her smiling on one of Puck's Pizzeria scooter with helmet in hand.

"I just wanted to show you my new job ride." Brittany yelled with the engine still on.

Santana would have loved to kiss her right then. Just seeing her brought her an immense happiness.

"It's amazing!" she stated, approaching her. She then rested her hand on top of Brittany's, which was gripping the accelerator, just to get the slightest contact with her lover.

"Puck wants me to start out from the bottom to get a better knowing of the business. So, for now and until further order, I am the delivery girl" She said happily.

"In that case I'll call more often if I'll get an incredibly sexy delivery girl!" Santana stated, leering and tightening her hold.

Brittany blushed awkwardly at the compliment. She felt like kissing the brunette. So she looked shiftily around and stole her a quick kiss. Santana was surprised but shivered at that touch.

"But now I have to run. You know that if we are more than 3 minutes late, we don't get paid."

"Yeah, I know... Britt... Be careful though, don't run too much." she told her worried while the blonde put on the helmet.

"Don't worry San! And if I get hurt, there's always the ER!"

And with that, Brittany was off like a shot with her head still turned behind to Santana, who was looking at her.

In an instant the brunette's gaze became extremely worried and she screamed "Watch it!"

Brittany quickly whirled around and managed to dodge the pole in front of her by a hair. Pleased with her success, she turned back again to wave at Santana smiling.

The brunette waved back still a little bit anxious, before speaking out loud "Oh my God, let's hope all goes well!"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for the long wait, but life (exams and moving countries) got in the way!<strong>

**I hope you still liked the chapter, even if I was terribly late... please forgive me...**


	11. Chang's home

"Santana, come in! You have to see this!"

Puck had opened the door, immediately dragging Santana in towards the house garden enthusiastically, while Brittany watched them amused.

"What's the matter? Why all this frenzy, Puckerman?" she trailed behind her friend, casting a perplexed glance at Brittany.

"You have to see what Will can do! It's incredible, San!" he said, bending down to call the dog.

Brittany had only been living in Puckerman's home for three days, but the man had already literally fallen in love with her dog. By then Puck and Will were practically joined at the hip. He was completely fascinated by the dog exceptional intelligence and by everything Brittany had taught him.

"Come on Brittany, turn the music on and show Santana what you two can do!" He addressed her friend who shook her head before walking to the stereo.

The music started: it was a Merengue. Dog and owner began a perfect choreography of that Latin American dance. Will could stay upright and was able to perform all the steps in tempo with Brittany. Santana opened her mouth incredulous. She had never seen something like that. While her friend Puck just looked at her, pleasantly nodding, as if he were the ball choreographer.

"Did you see it? Isn't it incredible? I have to make a video and send it to Sam!" he said.

After the performance ended, the two dancers took a bow. Britt petted her dog, thanking him for the umpteenth act of loyalty. She then left him to Puck, who led him to the garden to play some more.

Brittany took the brunette's hand and led her into her bedroom. All it took was a smile and they found themselves with lips glued together. They loosened the contact only to embrace each other more tightly.

Santana felt her heart throb wildly. It had been like that for four days. She had decided to spend all week, without Adam, as much as possible with Brittany, to make up for lost time. For the moment, she just wanted to love her without asking herself too many question.

Those had been some extraordinary days. Except for working hours, they had always been together, at Puck's house. And their mutual friend had completely respected their decision, always looking the other way. They had never kissed in front of him, but they all knew that he knew and discreetly kept quiet. Santana was surprised by her friend's sweetness, more so because Noah hadn't even joked about them and always left them alone as much as possible.

"How are you?" The blonde asked, lovingly rocking her in her arms.

"Now better... It's been a mess at work today," she replied, whispering softly into her ear before kissing her neck. Brittany trembled at the feeling of Santana's soft lips on her skin.

They pulled away and the blonde stared into her eyes

"I know what you need." She teased, smiling.

Santana mirrored the smile, waiting for Brittany to keep talking.

"I'll cook you an amazing Italian dinner!" she stated enthusiastic, before giving her a fleeting kiss on the lips and dragging her to the kitchen.

Brittany got to work. Santana couldn't help but stare at her spellbound at everything she did. Every Brittany's moves were incredibly elegant, a gracefulness that only Santana could see.

"Since when do you know how to cook?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Since I worked in several restaurants around the world" Brittany replied while slicing the onion thinly.

"I'll cook for you a delicious tomato sauce pasta," she continued gazing at her with tenderness.

"Wow! I can't wait to taste it!"

Their game of glances was interrupted by the personalized ring of Santana's cellphone that Brittany knew well already. The blonde jumped at it and felt a sharp pain in one finger.

"Shit!" she yelled, grabbing the finger. It was bleeding from a cut wound.

Still with phone in hand, Santana rushed to see if everything was ok. Brittany's finger continued to bleed profusely.

"Let me have a look..." she asked.

"It's nothing, just a cut. Don't worry... Just answer Adam"

"I'll call him back, it's not urgent."

"San! Answer Adam, it's just a stupid cut!" Brittany yelled staring into the brunette's eyes.

Santana was left speechless for a few seconds before answering the phone.

"Hey!"

"Hi love! What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just some cleaning."

As she lied, she remembered her house was a completely mess. Even if she was pretty much living with Brittany at the moment, only going back home to change clothes, she mentally took note to set her house in order for her husband return, before leaving for NY.

"Ah good good! We'll see each other in two days, are you ready?" he asked.

"I can't wait!" She lied again. That meeting scared her deeply because she didn't know how her heart would feel after those wonderful days she was spending with Brittany.

She turned around in search of the blonde but she didn't find her. She then saw some blood drops on the ground. She was used to worse but she panicked nonetheless.

"Baby, the pizza's here. I have to open the door." She made up.

"Did you order Puck's pizza?" he asked.

"Yes"

"San, I told you a thousand time that Gugliemo's is way better, it's the true Italian pizza! Noah Puckerman doesn't need our money!" He said irritated.

"Yes, yes I know... I have to go now. I'll call you later," she couldn't wait to end the call.

"No, I can't later. I have an important business dinner... I'll talk to you tomorrow!"

"Ok!"

"San, I love you! Even if you are stubborn and you never listen to me!" Santana could feel his smile.

"Me too." She tried to reply without actually speaking those three words. At that moment she truly didn't felt them.

Santana ended the call and rushed in search of Brittany.

"Britt? Britt, where are you?"

The blonde didn't answer. So, following the blood drops trail, she reached the bathroom.

She found Brittany with her finger in the sink, under the water stream. Santana noticed that she was upset. She decided to approach her nonetheless.

"Hey! Can I look at it?" she asked softly.

Brittany jumped, she had been lost in thought. She showed her wound.

"Mmm, it's nothing. The only problem is that the cut is in a place where the skin is extremely thin, so it bleed a lot." Santana turned towards the bathroom cupboard.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" she asked.

Brittany nodded and pointed to a drawer near the sink.

Santana opened it and with some gauze stopped the bleeding, tightening her hold on the finger.

"See? You just have to latch onto it here to stop the bleeding. After a little bit your platelets will do their job, cicatrizing your wound"

Brittany looked at her and smiled at her, finally reassured.

"What?" the brunette asked curious.

"Sometimes I just forget you are a doctor."

"I'm not just _a _doctor, I'm a very good doctor, the best!" she swelled with pride making Brittany laugh.

After few minutes she loosened her hold and softly disinfected the wound. Then she put a band-aid on.

"There! Now everything is ok! You don't have any more excuses. Go and cook me that tasty pasta,"

Brittany stepped closer and gave her a little kiss. Santana closed her eyes, basking in that sweet touch.

"Thank you," she said then.

"But maybe... If you still have to cut something, let me do it, ok?" They found themselves laughing madly with their foreheads touching.

XXX

They were sprawled down on the white sofa that Puck adored. It was after the amazing dinner the blonde cooked for them. They were channel surfing inattentively. Brittany was cuddled up on Santana's chest and was observing her finger. Puck had already gone out to work, he loved working at night, he always have so much fun tormenting his sleepy employees.

"Does it still hurt?" The brunette asked.

"It burns a little bit... It pulses," she said, pouting adorably.

Santana melted at the sight and leaned in, softly kissing her lips.

"You have to keep it high to avoid the pulsing"

"Like this?" the blonde asked lifting her arm high laughing.

"You don't need to lift the whole arm..." and she lowered it " But where is the brave and fearless Brittany gone? Where is the woman who lived by herself for 10 years and that right now is whining for a little cut?" she continued then.

"Actually I'm just pretending... I'm doing it just to get some cuddle from you," she revealed.

"You don't have to cut yourself to get some cuddle... I think of nothing else for my whole day!" Santana gazed at her sweetly before kissing her passionately.

The sudden ring of Santana's cellphone brought them back on earth.

"My favorite Chinese!" The brunette spoke answering Tina's call.

"Hey San, how are you?" the Asian asked.

"All good darling, and you? MJ?"

"Everybody's well. I know that Adam is away for a few days... You must be terribly sad."

"Indeed..." She said, watching Brittany playing with their hands, intertwining them in different ways.

"Listen, I called to tell you that we are having a little home party tomorrow for Mike's birthday... and I wanted to make him a surprise... Are you still in contact with Brittany?"

"Yes... I happened to talk to her from time to time," she smiled to the blonde who was looking at her curious, before silently bursting into laugh together.

"Ah good! Because I told Mike she was back in town and he was so happy... Certainly he doesn't expect her to appear at his birthday... Could you ask her if she would like to come to the party? I would love to see her again too." Tina said already excited just for having spoken the words.

Santana was moved nearly to tears at the emotions behind Tina's question. The Changs always had been fantastic to her, always straight-up and kind with everybody. And Mike had even been Brittany's best friend before she left Lima.

"Of course darling, I'll call her and ask her. I'll get you back for it, ok?"

She then hang up. Brittany stared at her with curious eyes, waiting for the reason why her name had popped up in the conversation.

"Tomorrow is Mike's birthday and Tina would love for you to be his birthday's surprise present." Santana reported caressing her blonde locks.

"Oh my God... Everybody is gonna be there, right?" She asked terrified.

"Well, it depends on what you mean with _everybody_... The husbands would be there, you don't know them... And you'll meet some people you haven't seen in ages..." She watched her pensive. "You don't have to, if you don't feel up for it, Britt." She continued.

"No... I just worry for everybody's reaction... I didn't stay in touch with any of them... for a long time... Mike is going to be angry with me." She replied, staring nervously at her hands, scratching her wounded finger.

"It's difficult just imaging Mike angry and I don't think he will be... I think he'll just be incredibly happy to see you again. You'll gave him an amazing present; but really Britt, you are not obligated to do it!" the brunette told her softly, pulling her close, before laying a gentle kiss on the blonde's temple.

"You'll always be next to me, right?" she asked, raising her head.

"Of course! And Puck will be there too"

"Okay." She answered happily.

Seeing that wonderful and brave smile, the brunette melted. She lifted her face and kissed her.

"Mmmmm Britt." Santana just barely pulled away from her lover's lips.

"Mmmm," the blonde muttered back, still lost in the moment.

"I was thinking of going back home to sleep today," she said hesitant, while staring at those longing lips in front of her.

"Mmmm I agree," the blonde replied before taking possession of Santana's mouth, nibbling gently at her lips.

The brunette's brain shut off immediately. She dove back into Brittany's mouth. She guided the blonde on her back, the same blonde who had already encircled her waist with one leg. Santana moved to the neck, basking in Brittany's scent, before going down to her half open shirt to uncover her breasts. She shivered inside.

"Britt?" She said panting.

"Mmm... San?" the blonde replied with closed eyes.

"Maybe I'll go home another day... Tonight I'll stay!" she said before attacking her neck again.

"Mmmm I agree." Brittany murmured back.

XXX

The alarm clock went off very early in time for her morning shift at the hospital. Santana still had to go home and change. She felt like she had slept only for ten minutes. She quickly put the clothes on, trying to not wake Brittany up, but she knew it would be impossible, in fact...

"Hey! It's too early!" The blonde rolled on her back, rubbing her eyes.

Santana walked to her and, smacking their lips together, she said

"I know... But I have to work. And I need to go home to change... Go back to sleep, since you can. I'll pick you up tonight for Mike's birthday." She told her quickly, while Brittany hinted a smile before turning around and going back to sleep.

* * *

><p>The day passed quickly. The morning at the hospital had been rather calm. She had thought of nothing else but Brittany. She realized that their days together were nearly over and that in a few days she will be in NY with Adam, and felt the anxiety intensifying. Quinn was right, she wouldn't be able to keep two parallel lives. But at the moment she really needed to see her reaction at her husband sight and contact, after those passionate days with Brittany, before making a definitive choice. Among all those thoughts, there was another one that gnawed at her: Quinn's, her best friend. They had not see or talk to each other since the fight, and Santana missed her very much. Quinn would surely be at the party that night. Santana intended to talk to her and fix everything.<p>

She was waiting for Brittany in front of Puck's mansion.

She watched her coming down the stairs, and completely lost her breath. Brittany was so beautiful. She wore only jeans and a shirt, but that simplicity totally disarmed Santana.

"Have you decide to kill everybody tonight?" She asked her, before greeting her lips with a soft caress.

"I don't think so... Since I'll have a good competition, Miss _Black dress_!" she replied, looking at her up and down, mischievously.

Santana wore a black sheath dress, incredibly short and tight, that, when sit behind the wheel, raised up to an obscene level.

"Well, this is the _Lopez_ look, everybody's used to it. But, seeing this breathtaking beauty will totally be a surprise and not only for Mike." She replied, winking.

XXX

They arrived at Chang's house nearly immediately, since it was in close proximity to Puck's. They got out of the car and instantly Santana noticed Brittany's nervous gaze.

"How are you?" she took hold of her hand before entering.

"Am I still in time to change my mind and turn back around?" she looked at her terrified.

Santana smiled before ringing the bell.

"Everything will be ok, you'll see"

As the door opened, it was spontaneous for the two friends to release their hands holding.

"Oh my God, Britt! Britt, is that you?" Tina literally jumped into the blonde's arms without thinking, and Brittany just stood there pleasantly floored.

"Yes, it's me."She then said holding her.

"Oh God, you have become a truly breathtaking woman! How are you?" she asked, stroking her cheek.

The blonde just nodded, visibly moved by the unexpected warm welcome.

"Hey?! I'm here too, eh?" Santana interrupted her friend's emotional gaze idyll.

"San, hi! Sorry!" Tina said a little bit embarrassed.

"Don't worry. For once I can leave the role of the star to someone else." She said shrugging while noticing Brittany's look, incredulous and amused at the same time.

"Come in! I can't wait to see Mike's face." Tina said, letting them in.

Brittany was completely paralyzed of having to do a triumphal entrance, and being the center of everybody's attention for a few minutes. Breathing became difficult as she met Santana's reassuring gaze.

Tina opened the door of the living room decorated for the occasion. Brittany's head began to spin as she watched Mercedes playing with Quinn and two children. One was obviously Mike's son, they were identical. Turning around, the blonde's gaze stopped at Sam and Puck admiring their gifts, being unwrapped by an entranced Mike: it was the new McKinley football team uniform. She then noticed two unknown men aside from the party, sipping beers.

Suddenly Mike saw a new blonde addition to the party, a blonde who he would have recognized even after one hundred years. He took off the football helmet and yelled, incredulous.

"Brittany!"

The blonde looked away from the two men and met Mike's overjoyed eyes.

"Oh my God, is that you, Britt?" the man rushed to the girl who had been his best friend. He hugged her and lifted her in the air, whirling her around. The blonde could only nod, wrapped in that warm embrace, and watch others staring at their scene. She found Santana's proud and satisfied gaze, and Tina's moved one.

The man put her down to get a better look at her. Caressing her face, he said with glassy eyes.

"How are you? Why did you not stay in touch?"

Brittany was so touched by his open welcome that she was afraid to say something and could only cry. She swallowed and gave it a try.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you everything... But right now... Happy birthday Mike!" she said before hugging him tightly again.

The man decided not to persist for the moment and simply hugged her back, happy to be able to do it again after a so long time.

"Hey! It's not worthwhile coming with the stars, nobody looks at you here!" Santana slapped Mike on the shoulder to get his attention and distract everybody from Brittany, so she could lessen the blonde embarrassment.

"Santana!" Mike released Brittany before hugging the brunette.

"Happy birthday Bruce Lee" She told him as she mirrored his hold.

Meanwhile Sam stepped closer. He still hadn't met Brittany in person, but only on the phone. Since he was Puck's best friend, Sam had been immediately informed of the new resident in Puckerman's house.

"Brittany, you are a knockout!" the man looked her up and down before embracing the blonde.

"Sam! How wonderful! But... Have your lips swelled even more?" she grinned. The man pulled them back awkward, before understanding her friend was only joking. So he then gave her another hug with everybody laughing around them.

"Aunt San!" The brunette heard a well-known soft voice that raced towards her to get picked up.

"Mariah! My love, come here!" she picked her up while the little girl smothered her with kisses.

"Britt, this is my beautiful goddaughter. Her name's Mariah and she is Mercedes' daughter." Santana said.

Brittany extended her hand to introduce herself.

"Hi Mariah, you are very beautiful, you know? I'm Brittany." she shook her hand.

"Hi..." the child replied a little bit shy, before turning around to Santana and asking "Where's uncle Adam?"

"He is at work, he is not coming tonight. But he'll sure call, so you'll get to say hi, ok?" she answered, noticing Brittany cloud over.

"Brittany, what a pleasure! Where have you been? You have literally disappeared." Mercedes came closer to greet the blonde. Brittany couldn't even reply that Mike had already dragged her with him to introduce everyone she didn't know, another time saving her from the embarrassment of having to give further explanations.

XXX

The night was going well, the brunette saw that Brittany was beginning to be at ease. At the moment the blonde was with Mike, who hadn't left her alone for a second, and he was introducing his son while improvising a moonwalk. So Santana relaxed too and decided to let her free from her control for a while.

She saw Quinn on the other side of the room, serving drinks. Neither she nor Brittany had greeted the blonde doctor. She decided to approach her, feigning pouring something to drink.

"I miss you." Santana told her with a smile, and watched Quinn frowning, surprised at her friend's bold, closing to arrogant, overture.

"I'm sure you are in good company now." The blonde replied without even looking at her.

"Come on Quinn! Can we talk about it calmly?" Santana took off her cocky mask and looked at her friend pleading.

"I don't see how I could talk peacefully with someone that runs every time I say something she doesn't like."

"Obviously if you are a bitch?!" Santana said.

Quinn stared at her bewildered and, giving up, turned around walking away.

Santana huffed rolling her eyes. Leaving her glass on the table, she grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her out of the room before Quinn could utter a word.

"Ok... Ok... I'll stop being a bitch!" she gesticulated blatantly, before halting and staring at the blonde with sad eyes "I miss you Q. I really miss you."

The blonde crossed her arms and silently stared at her.

"You are a bitch, you know?" She then said.

"I know"

"And I don't agree with what you are doing."

"I know"

"Because you are making a huge mistake!"

"I know." It continued to be the brunette's automatic reply.

"And I miss you too!" Quinn then added with a smile.

"I know this too!" Santana replied, mirroring her smile.

Quinn couldn't resist anymore and hugged her friend

"You are as stubborn as a mule!"

They held each other tightly and cried. Santana needed Quinn, needed to fell her friend's soothing embrace, even though the brunette knew the blonde disagreed with her behavior.

XXX

"Welcome to one of the most fashionable theater of Lima!" Puck was sipping a beer on Chang's couch, with Brittany seated between Sam and him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Oh come on! It's the fair of falsity!" Sam said.

"Indeed... All around us there are perfect husbands and wives that pretend to be perfect." Puck continued.

"Ok... So tell me, who do you hate the most?" Brittany turned to look at him in the eyes before asking her question.

"Well... I'm sure Simon is the undisputed winner." He replied while Sam sneered concurring with his friend.

"Isn't he Quinn's husband?" the blonde asked again.

"Yeah... He and Puck had a fistfight once." Sam replied still grinning.

Brittany's eyes and mouth opened wide in surprise, staring at her friend who still had on a very satisfied sneer.

"It's an old story... He got pissed when I reminded him that Quinn have a teenager daughter."

"...And now they just ignore each other." Sam concluded.

"But anyway, today the centerpiece is missing: Mr. S_uperperfect-I know-everything_ Adam! You should see him, a perfect idiot!" Puck commented.

"Yeah... What a sad life they have." Sam said, nodding at his friend's description.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand... Why are you two here if you don't like them?" Brittany asked confused.

"Because of Mike! He is different! Mike and Tina... Well... Come on, Mike and Tina are... Mike and Tina! Surely I don't have to explain that, right?" Puck replied.

"Yes, he is still the greatest of friend, even if he spend some time with all these _old_ people!" Sam stated.

"In my opinion, you are just jealous because they have a real family." Brittany provoked them.

The two friends looked at the other, surprised at the blonde claim, but then spoke in chorus: "Naaaaa!"

"We are still young. I was the one to introduce Francesco to Mercedes, when he was still a cool guy, sleeping with three women a week. Then he trapped himself... It's really sad!" Sam continued.

The three friends stopped talking, while they kept on looking at the scene in front of them.

Brittany gathered that Adam had finally called to wish a happy birthday to Mike because everybody was around Santana and her cellphone, children included. The children were competing with each other to get the possibility to talk to him first. To Brittany they seemed like a very tight group of people, and instantly felt sick at the revelation. Sick at the thought she could be a cause of division among them. In that moment she realized she felt more closer to Puck and Sam than ever.

XXX

"Well... How was it?" Santana asked while she drove Brittany home, since the blonde looked deep in thoughts.

"Strange..." she replied.

"How strange?"

"I don't know. You all seemed so tight that sometimes I felt like I was an intruder... A little like Puck and Sam."

"Britt, it's normal. You just need time. But they were all happy to see you again... And baby, don't believe Puck and Sam's bullshit. They are two men child, that insist on being alternatives, when maybe it's time they decide to grow up." she said before taking Brittany's hand.

The blonde nodded with a small smile.

"Have you made peace with Quinn?" She asked then.

"Yes... Did she tell you?" Santana asked.

"Yes... She was happy. Everybody could see that she missed you very much."

Santana puffed her chest out proud and pleased.

"Tina had invited me to join you next week for your poker." Brittany continued.

"Wonderful! You'll have fun! Quinn and I are masters of cheating and getting Mercedes angry!" Santana replied enthusiastic.

While they chatted, they reached Puck's home.

Santana parked the car and shut off the engine.

"Here we are..." the brunette said, looking at the blonde apprehensively.

"Here we are..."

"Tomorrow morning I'll fly to NY."

"I know..." Brittany didn't even wanted to look at her face. She didn't want Santana to know that she was scared as hell.

"Britt, if you want I can stay here tonight too, I'll..."

"No!" she interrupted, while Santana had already taken her face in her hands.

"No... Please, it would be too difficult. It's better we sleep separate tonight, each one in her own bed, alone." Brittany stared at her, softening her voice.

The brunette nodded. She felt her heart throbbing. She just wanted to stay in Brittany's arms forever. Everything else be damned.

They stared deeply into each other eyes for a few minutes. Santana got lost into the deep blue of Brittany's beautiful eyes. She knew the blonde was hurting, even if she tried to conceal it.

"I have to go now." The blonde said, shutting her eyes like it was the only way in which she could break their contact.

"Okay." Santana let her face go and lowered her gaze.

"We'll talk soon, ok?" the brunette asked her.

"Yeah... Bye San, have a safe flight." she looked at her one more time, and, opening the door, got out of the car.

Santana watched her walking towards the front door, and, taking a deep breath, she yelled,

"Fuck!" She opened the door and called for her "Britt... Wait!"

The blonde turned around. And, just like she had been waiting for it, she smiled taking her in her arms. They kissed passionately, while Santana caressed the blonde face so gently like she was afraid of crushing her, like Brittany were made of glass.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Britt! I'll think of you every single moment!" She told her, after reluctantly having loosened her hold.

"I'm going to miss you too." The blonde mirrored the feeling, with glassy eyes.

"Will you wait for me, Britt?" she asked then. But it felt like that question had a deeper meaning. It felt like Santana was asking for something more than just to wait for her return from NY.

"I'll be here, San... I'll wait for you, always!"


	12. The Opening

Santana got off the plane feeling tired and sleepy. She hadn't slept at all that night. She'd been too agitated. Many times during the night, she had found herself phone in hand, ready to call Brittany and beg her to let her spend the night. It would have been a good thing for her, sleeping next to Brittany. It would have calmed and soothed her. But she realized it wouldn't have been right, not in that way.

At the arrival exit she took a deep breath and put on her best smile. She was ready to face Adam.

She passed the exit line, then the security control, and she found herself completely engulfed by Adam's embrace. He lifted her up and spun her around.

"Baby!" He said, enthusiastically.

Santana laughed at his over-the-top welcome.

"Hey!" She said, taking his face between her hands and kissing him.

Adam, with no discretion, deepened the kiss and tightened his hold on her, before whispering

"I missed you so much!" He was staring passionately into her eyes.

"You too...", and he smiled.

They walked towards the car. Santana immediately noticed Adam's excitement. Clearly the night's event truly was going to be the most important thing that had ever happened in his life.

"Hey, they are treating you well here, eh?" she said noticing the luxurious car at his disposal.

"It's the least they can do considering all the money I'll make them gain from this night on!" He grinned.

"Oh my God, it seems like you got high on some really strong drug!" she joked seeing all his euphoria.

"I'm just happy, baby. Today is a memorable day for us!" He said thrilled, looking at her with shiny eyes.

Santana had seen Adam in that state only twice in the past: the first time when he had asked her to marry him and she had said yes, and the second had been on their wedding day.

She melted at the sight. Santana reached out with her hand caressing his cheek and gave him a sweet smile.

"And I'm so happy that you are here with me... I couldn't ever imagine this moment without you, you complete it, my love." Adam gently took hold of her hand.

Those words pierced her heart without mercy. Santana felt terribly sick. She felt like a really bad person. She felt dirty because she knew she was hurting him very much, and he was completely in the dark, loving her without any doubts.

She took advantage of the red light to move closer and kissed him with everything she had. It was kinda like she was trying to redeem herself with that kiss.

They arrived at the hotel and Santana's eyes grew wider at the sight of that luxurious room, exactly in front of Time Square, where Adam's Ad was going to be publicly launched later that night.

"Oh my God, baby, please tell me your company is paying for all this, otherwise I'll have to do a lot more overtime at the hospital!" She said with eyes high, captivated by all that splendor.

Adam encircled her waist from behind and whispered

"Of course they are paying... Even for the SPA... you can use it whenever you like it. Anyway, after today there's going to be a change: my salary will double, if not triple and we'll be able to afford rooms like this one in all our travels".

Santana lighted up and, turning towards him, said with shiny eyes "Really?"

Adam nodded amused, "I knew you would love the news."

He picked her up into his arms and headed to the bed, throwing her on it with fake violence. Then he took off his blazer and, like a theater actor, recited with drama "And now you'll be mine, my beautiful damsel!" making her laugh even more, before she raised up to gently kiss his neck.

They kissed passionately. In that moment Santana had opposing feelings in her mind, she felt like her emotions were at war. Suddenly the man stopped and, staring deeply into her eyes, said,

"I love you Santana, you are the best thing that ever happened in my life."

She noticed Adam was immensely moved, with glassy eyes, probably because of all those feelings he was experiencing that day. It felt fleeting but at that moment she didn't care, he had told her a wonderful thing. The brunette flung herself to kiss him with even more ardor, while Adam began unbuttoning her shirt, caressing her breasts, making her moan with pleasure.

They were reaching their fever pitch, and as Santana were about to take off his trousers, Adam's cell phone suddenly rang. She didn't mind that and continued her action, while Adam became more and more nervous at the caller's persistence.

"Wait! It could be important." He spoke, breathing on her lips.

The brunette grumbled but nodded, tensely passing a hand on her face.

Adam came back a few minutes after, he was rather tense.

"Something happened, a fuse broke... it seems they can't find a spare part anywhere, and the hologram can't start without it." he said, while her wife just stared at him wide eyed, already confused at half speech.

"I have to go." he got dressed, without even looking at her.

"But... Why do _you_ have to go checking that thing? Come on, isn't there someone else that can do that?" She complained.

"Christ, Santana! You don't get it, do you?" He turned on his heels, "We are in the most Hi-tech city of the world and they can't find a bloody fuse. My creation will be fucked if we don't find it! We could lose everything because of a fucking fuse! I have to go!" He was sweating and extremely agitated.

Worried at his reaction, Santana got up from the bed and grabbed his face between her hands to catch his attention.

"Hey! Everything will be ok. You'll find the piece... ok? I'm sure you'll fix it." She stared into his eyes with a certain smile that clearly soothed Adam a bit.

"I'm sorry. It could take some time... I'm sorry to leave you here alone." He lowered his voice, evidently regretful.

"Don't worry, I know how to keep myself busy." She gently kissed him.

"Mmmm okay, just don't use my credit card, please!" He told her comforted, with the hint of a smile.

"I'll try, though it will be tough." she made him laugh.

Adam gave her a fleeting kiss. He then put back on his jacket, took the phone and keys, before running to the door. But at the last time he stopped and went back to Santana

"Ah... Eh... Tonight we are going to finish that talk that we have interrupted." he hugged her, with eyes full of desire.

The brunette smiled and let him go.

After taking a breath, she suddenly remembered she still hadn't turned on her phone since she had arrived in NYC. Surely there would be worried messages from Quinn, wanting to know if she had landed okay.

Indeed there were two messages, one from Quinn and one from Brittany. Santana's heart skipped a beat.

_**Good morning! I hope you landed ok. Today I'll be at the restaurant with the boss, for lessons on tables management :)... I already miss you so much!**_

Santana fell heavily on the bed and sighed, tightening her hold on the phone. She didn't even know what she felt at that moment. It felt like she was living with a stranger or, worse, with a schizophrenic. Quinn had warned her. But she couldn't do anything, she felt helpless for not being able to understand herself and control her feelings.

_**I landed safe and sound! I'm already into my luxurious hotel room. I really can't imagine that caveman teaching you something other that sex and football! :) I miss you too, Britt!**_

Santana felt everything she wrote was true, because she really did missed Brittany. Then, she replied to her anxious friend's message to calm her, before making some call and then decided to take a shower.

* * *

><p>"So, sugar, this is your cockpit, just like Captain Kirk, got it?"<p>

Brittany nodded, in front of a big display with the room table arrangement. Right now the room was empty because they were closed. Puck continued to explain the complex management of the room, they way he wanted it.

Then he walked to a table

"Ok, now we'll do a simulation, I'll place an order. Click on the number of the table, in this case it's 10" he said, while Brittany, excited, tapped on the screen.

Puck grinned as he watched Brittany's smiling face appearing in front of him, spread out on the whole table.

"Do you see my face?" She asked yelling.

"Oh yeah! And what a face! Stunning!"

"I want to see it." she moved on tiptoe trying to see herself on the table but she couldn't.

"Not like that, you have to remain in the webcam frame." Puck yelled at her "Come on, now say what I taught you before." he continued gesticulating.

"Hello, I'm Brittany, and I'm at your complete disposal." she spoke out loud smiling, glancing every so often at the piece of paper pinned next to her.

"But... Don't I sound like a porno star?" She asked him uncertain.

"Mmmm, you don't know how much money I made with this idea! People always buy more than they have to, just to see the girls on the table." Puck replied, winking and rubbing his hands together showing keen satisfaction.

"God, Puckerman, you are a pig!" the blonde exclaimed.

"Oh come on Britt! Go on! Go on!"

"Ok..." She said already giving up, before putting on again her beautiful smile.

"Now, in front of each one of you, on the Ipad, will appear a menu."

"Green button!" Noah yelled, raising his hand conducting her, just like an orchestra leader do.

Brittany pressed the button and, suddenly on the table several squared areas folded back and Ipad screens came out, with the detailed menu. Puck openly smiled with shining eyes, like a proud father seeing his newborn baby for the first time.

"You just have to select the photo of a dish or drink and drag it to the cart. Once the order is complete, click _end_ and, as soon as possible, one of my colleague will bring it to you. I'll be at your disposal for any other questions or problems. You just have to click on the button next to your seat. Enjoy your meal!" Brittany ended her performance.

"You forgot something!" the man said as he still observed Brittany's now meditative face on the screen.

"What?" she asked puzzled.

"What goes after _Enjoy your meal_?"

"Oh right." putting a hand on her forehead "The wink," she immediately said, doing it.

"Very good!" Puck got up, clapping at her. He walked up to her and said "I predict an increase of orders, baby!" He picked her up, whirling her around, before dropping a wet kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, put me down, Puck!" she laughed.

"Since tonight your - hmm let's say fuckfriend - is not here, would you like to come to Sam with me? We'll eat pizza and drink beer." he asked her, knowing she would feel alone without Santana.

"Deal!" the blonde replied, understanding her friend's gesture, and hugged him.

* * *

><p>"How does it feel to be the wife of the star of the day? There is no other topic of conversation in NY but the <em>LightP<em> launch and its designers."

"At least for today you are not going to be star, Berry! So you can relax!" the Latina said.

"Oh, how I missed your jokes, Santana! Rachel, serves you right! Although you have fought against Stefany to get hired to sing at the after launch party, so to be the protagonist in any case"

"What can you do Kurt? You well know, as I do, that Broadway is a lions den and you have to fight everyday to survive."

"God guys, I really missed your fights! I thank God that you didn't change your mind and decided to become doctors, otherwise you would have made my life an hell and I would have had to kill you, Berry!" the Latina smirked, sharing a knowing look with Kurt.

Rachel opened her mouth wide, "You could never, Santana!"

"Don't try me and we'll never know" she replied.

"Ok, when can we talk about that special someone who suddenly came back home?" Kurt said.

Santana froze, she really didn't expected that question. She looked at him hesitant. Rachel too was perplexed at her friend's topic, but, in her defense, she really didn't know what her roommate was talking about.

"Come on Santana! I don't live in Lima anymore, but I talk with my friend nearly everyday." The man winked grinning.

"Mercedes should mind her own business, once in a while!" she said while Kurt smiled satisfied.

"Can I be informed too? Or you want to keep speaking in code, you two?" the singer cut in, irritated.

"I'll let our Doctor do the honors!" Kurt pointed at his friend, while Santana glared at him.

"Brittany is back in Lima, I have met her a few weeks ago." She told them lowering her gaze.

"What? Brittany Pierce?" Rachel perched at the edge of the chair, like she wanted to get closer to Santana to get a better understanding of the situation.

"Yes," she replied.

"But... Brittany? The Brittany who ran away 10 years ago? Our schoolmate? Your ex-girlfriend? Santana?"

"Yes Berry! Britt. You understand correct, there's no need to sum up her whole life!" Santana blurted out annoyed. Meanwhile Kurt kept on smirking at her. The Latina didn't know if she felt more annoyed at his behavior or at her verbose brunette friend.

"Well? How is she? Come on, tell us something!" Kurt urged her on.

"She has changed a lot. She had some tough experiences that made her grown up quickly..." she told them, with her head still bent down.

"But, why did she cut all her contacts? She even stopped talking to Sam and you!?" Rachel asked.

"She had her reasons and, if she wants, she will tell you herself, Rachel!" Santana stared sincerely at her, letting her friend know how personal the situation was. She really couldn't tell Brittany's story. Rachel immediately understood and nodded.

"I hope to see her at Christmas, I'll be back in Lima." the singer continued.

"You'll see her. She works for Puckerman now." Santana smiled at her.

"Ok... Can we talk about Lima's opening of the century?" Kurt wanted to expand his gossip session.

"What do you want to know?" Santana smirked, mischievously.

"All the details, obviously!" Kurt lifted his brow naughtily.

"Mmmm I would love to stay and hear all about the traitor who broke my best friend's heart, but I have to go to rehearsal for tonight." Rachel stood up and gave both her friend a kiss before continuing "I'll be fantastic tonight. See you'll be dressed as incredibly as I'll be. I don't want to make you look foolish in front of your husband's bosses." she winked and run off, before Santana could slap her buttocks.

Santana looked at Kurt.

"Do you have somewhere to be?"

"Where do you think I have to go? I'm just a simple extra. Tonight I'll be at the party only because you sent me an invitation... So, I'm all yours, baby!" he shrugged before gulping down his cocktail.

"Perfect! Then come with me." she left a few dollars on the table and dragged him with her.

They went to hotel spa, after a wonderful relaxing massage during which Santana spent the time updating his friend on the last news of Lima, of his ex and current boyfriend's opening, and she even talked a bit about Brittany.

"Oh God, San! You should come to New York more often if it's always like this." Kurt exclaimed, closing his eyes, completely relaxed.

"It would be amazing… But don't say it in front of Adam… I'm too bound to Lima and the university years made me understand that." the brunette replied.

Kurt nodded, with eyes still closed and a knowing smile, a smile of someone who had already heard that story from more than one person, hundred of times.

"Why don't _you_ come back to Lima instead?" Santana asked.

"Because there's nothing anymore that ties me to Lima, only bad memories… Or maybe the bad ones only get the better of the good ones" he replied calmly.

"There is nothing that ties you to New York too… except Rachel" she corrected herself when the man turned around to look at her perplexed

"Come on Kurt, you two got in the NYADA, just because you were lucky enough to have Shelby as a teacher, who had scored a job there after she was forced to resign from McKinley… You should thank Quinn for that… and Puck too, if I remember correctly." she pointed at his motionless friend, who still had the same relaxed grin on.

"Rachel got lucky and she now have important parts in theater… But you? Come on Kurt, what's been your main role? Sherk's puss in boots? You are 30 and you could give so much to Lima artistically… I mean, you have a NYADA degree, you could easily open a musical or an acting school. Or you could even take over the job of McKinley Glee Club director... Will already has run out of ideas and people are sick of his 80s songs. He is ruining the club!" Santana noticed that his friend wasn't responding to her provocations, so she decided to stop talking.

"I had forgotten how brutally sincere you can be, Santana Lopez." he began, keeping his eyes closed and that same grin in place, that Santana clearly couldn't interpret.

She realized she had gone too far just as she heard Kurt's calm voice.

"I just do this with the people I love, otherwise I wouldn't even spare my breath… and you know how much I love you, Kurt!" She spoke honestly, hoping to fix the situation.

Kurt nodded smiling softly.

"I am never coming back to Lima, Santana! I can't live there anymore, in the same town of the person who had destroyed all I lived for, because I considered him my whole life at the time."

Santana began to breathe anxiously.

"It's funny though, because he used to say the same thing about me too. He would always tell me I was his everything, me and his music… But then he left, firstly me and then the music… Talking about being coherent, right?" a nervous laugh slipped out from the brunette.

"Being in New York makes me keep my hopes up! Here I can still dream. Rachel encourages me continuously. Broadway inspires me every day. I'm sure that somewhere in some theater there's a place for me… Even now, even if I'm 30 years old. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up in Washington with my family, just like Finn, working as assistant to Senator Hummel… It's not that bad now that I think about it." Kurt kept the same expression on , just like he was acting a sarcastic monologue on his life.

"But Lima, no! Lima would destroy all my dreams and would make me crumble. I could build the most amazing musical school or win every Glee Club competition, but I still will be without a soul. New York is my soul, my lung to breathe. Understand what i'm saying, Santana?"

For the first time since he began his talk, he turned around to look at her and Santana immediately noticed his eyes were glassy. Kurt sank completely under water, hiding his tears.

Santana smiled sadly, understanding his gesture, and joined him under water.

"San!" he suddenly called for her, as the brunette turned around waiting for his next words.

"If you intend to keep on seeing Brittany, you have to leave Adam!"

Kurt's statement alarmed Santana. Kurt scared her, because she was certain she hadn't let any feeling shine through when talking about Brittany, or at least she had tried hard to hide her emotions.

"What the fuck are you talking about, Hummel? Are you high?" she immediately reacted.

"Just tell me it's not true and I'll change gender!" he resumed smirking.

"Oh well, brace yourself, because I'll choose the most ugly woman for you to fuck!"

Kurt just continued to stare at her, only raising a brow. The brunette began to noticeably tense up.

"Come on Kurt! I'm married, what the hell are you talking about? It was only an highschool crush…" she exclaimed, gesticulating furiously without looking at his face.

"Santana!" Kurt raised his voice, interrupting her "Believe me, by now, I know how an unfaithful person looks like… I've had experience…"

With those words, the man destroyed her completely. Santana just wanted to disappear, sinking in that warm water and swimming faraway from that situation. She tried to open her mouth to defend her cause but no sound came out. Kurt was nodding trying to soothe her, encouraging her to talk.

"I… I don't know… I've created such a mess, Kurt… It only took one glance and I crumbled… I know, I'm a bad person. Adam doesn't deserve this." she then burst into tears while she continued to nervously pass a hand through her wet hair.

"Hey… Hey, come here," Kurt took her into his arms and let her unload, "I know… I understand… What was there between you and Brittany, was something very intense, even if you were young." he searched for her eyes.

"But, believe me, I know how it feels to be on the other side, San… And I would have liked for Blaine to leave me immediately, rather than feeling like this, knowing that I had shared him with another person." He told her, this time crying without shame "It's terrible to leave someone, I know. But it's even more terrible to cheat. And I'm not just talking about Adam...I'm thinking about Brittany too, because when you make love to Adam, you are cheating on her too!"

The two friend hugged each other tightly.

"I can't Kurt… I can't… I don't know what to do."

* * *

><p>"I am a good prosti-waitress, right?" In the car, Brittany joked after a whole day spent learning every single functions of Captain Kirk cockpit, as Puck loved to call it.<p>

"Stop using that bad term! It's nothing like that! Nowadays appearance is everything, Britt! And we have to adjust… And please, don't ever mention that word in front of Santana, she would kill me if she realize I'm making you flirt with clients!" Brittany burst out laughing. At the same time that name made her heart jump. The whole day she had been incredibly busy and didn't had the time to think about Santana.

"So… You still haven't told me in what management group I have to put you in: men, women, gays or lesbians?" he inquired smiling.

"I haven't reply because it feels like a tricky question."

"Hey! It's about the job, I'm not asking to know your sexual preferences." he winked as Brittany shoved him, making the car swerve, nearly going off-road.

"Exactly, it's work! So just put me where you need me… Except gays, because I really don't think they would be interested in blonde women." she answered both a little bit amused and offended.

"Just so you know, you are wrong! Gays have good taste and an extraordinary sense of beauty! Maybe they will choose the smiling blonde, just to not get their partner jealous."

"Ok, so put me wherever you want!" she replied as they stopped in front of Sam's house.

"The lights are off… I think he is still in the basement, working… Shit, that boy works too hard!" Puck said.

"What is he doing in the basement?" Brittany asked curious.

"Why? Didn't he tell you what his job is?"

The blonde shook her head in negative answer.

"Ok, now you'll see it!" Puck rang the bell, getting no response. So he walked to a tree in Sam's house garden where there was a hole cut out in the middle, and grabbed some keys.

"Let's hope we don't find anything compromising down there, if that's the case… get ready, sweety!" he said, waving the keys, while Brittany began to get worried.

They descended the stairs and the woman heard some dull sounds coming from a dark and obviously soundproofed room. Puck opened the door and with only a glance Brittany's eyes and mouth widened in wonder.

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed.

The star of the room was a giant screen. Sam was in front of it with an helmet on the head, gloves on, and, taking a careful look, he even had on some kind of odd shoes, or at least some kind of harness that wrapped up his feet.

"Cool… I've never seen something like this." Puck spoke out loud, thrilled at the huge screen. They watched Sam jump sideways with great effort and the character in the videogame mirrored his action on the screen, beginning to run on the wall. By his shortness of breath, it was clear Sam was struggling. He then tried another jump but his character stumbled and fell into nothingness.

"Fuck!" he said, taking off the helmet and throwing it on the couch next to him.

"Hey, watch your language!" Puck yelled to be heard.

The blonde man, still panting, turned on the lights and smiled at his two friends. Then he immediately stopped them when they tried to get closer. He moved to an electronic device, he touched repeatedly on the display and a microphone turned up. He took a long breath and spoke out loud.

"Prison Break 6, level 9, pursuit scene, towards manhole number 9. The graphic falters and the sound disappears in places… This level is a mess!" he pushed a button and the mic slid back into the wall together with the display.

"Hey! Come in!" Sam addressed his friends still standing at the doorway.

"Shit, I want to try this, man!" Puck said, giving him a high-five.

"When it will be ready and not full of errors like right now... I wasted a lot of energy running for nothing!" he replied.

"Hey Britt!" He hugged her. The woman was still dumbfounded at that scene.

"Sam… You… You…" she pointed the big screen.

"Yes, I'm a video games tester!" he nodded.

"Oh shit! I want to do it too!" Brittany exclaimed.

"Everybody says that, but it's not exactly a piece of cake. You have to stay hours on end in front of a screen, slaving and getting angry!" he said, showing the blonde his swollen feet thanks to the harness he had to wear all day long.

"Except when you test the adults videogames… There's the real fun… Do you remember the one in which you had to fuck three girls at the same time and last more than 10 minutes each, doing…"

"Ooook! Ok… I've heard enough, Puck! _I_'ll just play kids games!" the blonde interrupted him, making the two men burst into laughter.

The three friends spent part of the night playing video games, eating pizza and drinking beers. Brittany had tried a few video games, in particular dance simulation and animal care-taking.

At the end, tired, they found themselves chatting on Sam's couch, sipping the last beers left.

"So, did you really travel to all those places, Britt?" Sam asked.

The blonde nodded silently.

"One day, I'll go to Spain too! How are the Spanish women?" Noah inquired.

"Very beautiful…" she smiled, before taking courage and saying "I have been with a girl from Madrid for a few months."

The two friends opened their mouths wide and looked at each other grinning.

"Britt, so you are…" Sam asked timidly, only to be interrupted by Brittany, taking him out of the embarrassment.

"I don't worry about people sexuality... If I'm attracted to someone, I don't think twice and I go for it!" she said, lifting the bottle of beer.

The two men looked at each other and then, inclining their bottles towards the blonde's, exclaimed in chorus "Cool"

"Except Santana…" Puck ventured.

"Santana is something different, she is whole different world." she admitted, while her friends nodded, drinking on it, so that blonde didn't need to explain the concept further.

* * *

><p>"Adam, now I know why you can't stop talking about your wife!" a middle aged elegant man greeted Santana. For the party she had decided on a long black dress that hugged her in all the right places. At the sight Adam had gone crazy with lust and pride. He had told her that she would have made everybody's head turn.<p>

"Finally I meet you, Santana… And believe me, all your husband's praises don't do your beauty justice" he continued gracefully kissing her hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Walsh, you are really kind" Santana replied, a little bit embarrassed.

"Oh please, call me Jeremy. After tonight Adam has become our leading star! What a sight when he pushed the button and those incredibly realistic forms appeared! You are a genius, son!" the man said before being literally kidnapped by his agent and taken to meet other important people.

"You have won my boss over! Perfect! I'll use you to persuade him into giving me some free days, if I would need that in the future" Adam said, embracing her and kissing her neck.

"Hey lover boy! Come with me, I have to introduce you to a big shot… I'm sorry Santana!" one of Adam's colleague interrupted them.

"Be my guest, Chuck, don't worry." The brunette greeted him, while her husband looked at her sadly but, nonetheless, let his friend easily drag him away.

She turned around to look at the stage. There was her high school friend performing. Santana couldn't help but notice how beautiful little Rachel Berry had become. Living with Kurt all those years really did her good. Rachel wore a fantastic red sheath dress, with an elegant hairstyle. Certainly their common friend had forced her to change fashion style since high school.

She looked the other way and saw Kurt sipping a drink near a table, admiring satisfied his friend singing.

"Finally that octopus of your husband let you go! He hasn't left your hand not even for a second tonight... Did you two glued your hands together? Or was he too much in a panic to let your hand go, like you're a kid or something?" Kurt spoke as soon as Santana sat down next to him.

"The second one… In cases like these, men show all their maternal dependence." they laughed together.

"Look at her! In all her glory! It's when I see Rachel's shiny eyes that I know I don't want to give in. She is my personal motivator." The man said.

Santana nodded with a smile, understanding the truth in those words.

"Now, if you allow me ladies and gentlemen, I would like to invite on this stage one of the most important person in my life. He has an infinite talent, he will soon show it to the world, I'm sure. So, consider yourself very lucky... Tonight you have the privilege to hear Mr. Kurt Hummel sing!" Rachel pointed him out, making all the guests turn their head in his direction. "One day he will be so famous that you would be able to brag your friends about tonight!"

Santana turned to Kurt. He was incredulous and stunned at what had just happened. The brunette gave him a push towards the stage

"Come on! What are you waiting for? Go! It's your chance!"

Kurt stood up, staring at Santana. It was like he needed confirmation that all that was really happening. Santana nodded happily and motioned him to hurry, because Rachel was still waiting for him on stage.

Kurt and Rachel sang together 'Defying Gravity' with a passion never seen before. Santana was moved deeply watching them. She had forgotten how much passion they had always put into singing. And in that moment, she finally understood Kurt's talk about staying in New York.

* * *

><p>They came back to the hotel completely exhausted. Adam was so happy that, in spite of the tiredness, he wanted to pick up where they had left that morning. They made love tenderly and Adam had told her the sweetest things during that intimate moment.<p>

Santana was resting on his chest, tired out, when Kurt's words came to her mind.

_Every time you will make love to Adam, you will cheat on Brittany too._

She immediately felt sick. She felt dirty. Neither Brittany nor Adam deserved that. But she really didn't know what to do, she loved them both very much. Every time she saw Brittany, her heart would just explode with love. With Adam she always felt safe, calm and protected. It really was a mess.

"Is Brittany really that beautiful?" suddenly Adam asked while he was caressing her wife's raven hair.

Santana lost her breath. She even had an unconditional reflex, tightening the hold on her husband chest so much that she left the mark of her nails.

"Ah! What's wrong with you?" he touched his chest, frowning at her.

"I'm sorry… It's just that I was nearly asleep and you scared me." luckily she was able to justify her behavior.

"Why are you asking me that?" she then added, clearly afraid, but trying to maintain a sort of control on her emotions, despite everything.

"Because, Simon can't stop talking about the beauty of this Brittany, your ex schoolmate, the one you brought to Mike's party." he said pulling himself together, massaging the injured part.

"Ah… I understand… Of course… Simon" Santana sighed with relief and even let slip out a nervous laugh.

"Hey! Don't tell Quinn, please!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell her anything. Although Simon really should focus more on her wife's beauty." she replied, with a shred of jealousy for Brittany and Quinn both.

"You are right." He said smiling, giving a kiss on the back of her neck "I want to meet her. I'm curious. As soon as we are back in Lima, we'll invite her to dinner, okay?" He continued.

Santana lost her breath again. It certainly was too much for that night. She really didn't want to spend an evening with her husband and her lover, even if it was strange thinking of Brittany in that way.

"We'll see… She is very busy at the moment. She is working at Puck's, she has to learn a lot… And she even has some trouble with her family" she tried to come up with plausible excuses.

"Well, she found time for Mike, she will surely find it for us too!"

"We'll see Adam… Can we sleep now? I'm very tired." Santana said, before raising her head from his chest and turning on the other side, giving him her back.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm incredibly sorry for the huge delay, but sometimes it's really difficult for me to balance working at the hospital and studying for med school... It's hard to find some free time to write... I'm really sorry! <strong>

**In this chapter we introduced Kurt and Rachel, and I assure you we'll meet them again in the future.**

**I'm sorry for the AdamTana, but it's important to the story... Bear in mind this is still a Brittana fanfiction!**

**Thanks again to elettra28 and my incredible beta vix00!**

**And thanks to all of you who took the time to read this new chapter... I'm sorry for the wait!**

**Till next time...**


	13. Teenagers

**Finally I'm back! I know, I'm unforgivable! I'm so sorry for the extremely long pause. I'm really trying my best but work is a bitch at the moment. That said, I promise you I'm not going to abandon this fic.**

**And now onto the story, I hope you'll like this new chapter! **

**Thank you all for your support!**

* * *

><p>Santana and Adam woke up late that morning. They were both still feeling a little excited by the previous day's events. There had been so many emotions during those hours. Santana couldn't believe that Adam's obvious happiness could soothe her too, somehow.<p>

She had acted like everything was back to normal: the two of them together surrounded by their closest friends... Except, nothing was the same anymore, it would never be. Because now, in that rediscovered normalicy, there was Brittany. She sighed loudly. In the meantime, there was a knock on the door and Adam went to answer.

He came back with their breakfast,"Voilà! A delicious breakfast all for you, my love. You need it after all that energy I made you consume yesterday." Adam placed the tray on the bed, dropping a delicate kiss on her lips.

"You are right. Your colleagues and your boss came onto me more than twice. It was as bad as listening to Rachel Berry sing for two hours straight." She declared smiling.

"I wasn't talking about that. I was referring to what happened later." He looked at her naughtily and the brunette smiled back embarrassed, "And, for the record, Rachel is amazing. You could have become a singer too. Anyways, I think you love stitching people up too much"

"I'm not a plastic surgeon." She replied politely.

"Well, if you were you would surely make more money. And you could do something for your high school mate's big nose."

At his joke, Santana burst into laughter.

"Don't make fun of my favorite dwarf. I'm the only one who can, it's a privilege won over many years of experience." She run her hand through his hair before kissing him.

"Good! Now we have to go!" He stated, quickly separating their mouths.

"Why?" She asked curious.

"Sightseeing… I'll take you to my office, since you have never seen it. And then I have a surprise for you." He winked.

The brunette smiled while Adam dashed for the shower.

Santana decided to pick up her phone and and make a call

"Hey! How's it going in the Big Apple?" Brittany was radiant.

Santana got emotional just listening to her voice. She couldn't understand why she was so moved, but the blonde had always that strong effect on her.

"Hey! I happen to miss Lima already." She replied.

"Oh come on! You are in one of the biggest cities of the world, with your famous husband. What more do you want from life?" The blonde joked.

Santana was taken aback by the lightness of Brittany's words. In Brittany's place, she would have died from jealousy.

"It's too chaotic for my taste." Santana said.

"Mmmm you are right."

"How are you, Britt?" Santana asked wistfully.

"I'm good! Yesterday Puck taught me how to be a prosti-waitress." She had promised Puck she would have never spoken about it with Santana, but it was too funny to keep it all to herself .

"What?" The brunette thought about it and, after hearing Brittany's laugh, she said worriedly, "Please, don't tell me he put you on tables managment, doing the sexy waitress who winks at clients?"

"Come on San, it's funny!" Brittany replied.

"Oh God, remind me to kill him when I'm back. I preferred you on the streets risking your life on that scooter."

"Seriously? Come on, I'll be good… Well, if they triple the tip, I have to give something in exchange…" She really loved to provoke Santana.

"Britt!" She nearly yelled.

"I'm joking!" The blonde reassured her, "How are you?" she asked then.

"I'm good. It's been fun. Yesterday I even met Kurt and Rachel. They say hello."

"Really? Cool! I'm happy you had some fun, San!" she said sincerely.

Santana held her breath. She needed to, in order to stop a few tears that threatened to fall. Her heart was about to literally explode in her chest. She had a thousand things she wanted to say in that moment, but she could only breathe out, "I miss you Brittany."

And it was true. Even though she had made love to Adam the previous night. Even though she had acted as the perfect wife ever. She still felt like something was missing. And she felt that only Brittany could ever fill that void. The woman on the other end of the phone who had only been worried about her wellbeing, without asking further awkward questions. Santana got a sudden desire to leave NY and go back to Lima, just so she could wrap Brittany tightly into her arms.

"I miss you too, San…" the blonde merely replied, maybe sensing everything that was passing through the brunette's mind.

Suddenly Santana heard Adam shutting off the shower and immediately panicked.

"I have to go now… I'll be back tomorrow night," she said quickly.

"Ok… Have fun!"

"Bye Britt!"

"Bye San!"

She set down the phone on the table and hurried towards the shower, nearly ignoring Adam. Under the water spray, she could finally unload all of her frustration and pain.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Mr. Adam Steven's new office." Adam was glowing that day. Santana could easily see all the happiness shining through his every gesture. She was sure some of the adrenaline of the previous night was still there.<p>

"Wow! So this is where you bring your hot assistants for a quickie, right?" She jocked.

Adam embraced her and, within an inch from her face, said

"Mmmm it's too small. There are a lot of sexy assistants here, you know?" and then kissed her.

"I wonder how many have the guts to be with a jerk like you." She replied stepping away from his arms.

"Hey! Everybody loves me here!" He said proudly.

"Good for you then." And she left him in a huff.

Adam cautiously approached her and hugged her from behind.

"I was just joking, honey… No one is coming on to me, because I'm always talking about my wife… Who would ever try something with a boring husband like me?" He whispered into her ear.

Santana closed her eyes tight at those words. She was still feeling like a monster everytime Adam came up with sweet lines like that one. She opened her eyes again and saw a photo of their wedding on her husband's desk. She smiled and turned around to kiss him with passion.

"Now, I want to take you somewhere." The man said, staring at her lovingly, after that kiss the brunette had given him.

"Where are we going?" She asked curious.

"It's a surprise!"

* * *

><p>"I'm home! I went shopping..." Brittany entered the kitchen with a few heavy bags. Will welcomed her wagging its tail.<p>

"I know we work in a restaurant… In fact, a few restaurants… And a few pizzerias… And coffee shops… Shit Puck, how many places have you opened?" She continued to take out groceries from the bags as she talked, believing her friend was in the other room listening to her.

"Are you my father's new girlfriend?"

Brittany whirled around at the sound of that unfamiliar female voice. In front of her there was a young girl with blonde hair and green shining eyes, dressed in total black.

She smiled at the words and replied

"No, I'm not. And who are you?" She paused to think for a moment before saying "Wait… Did you say _father_?" she asked, pointing at her.

The young girl nodded amused at the woman's different expressions.

"Oh shit… No… Don't tell me that… Oh my God, don't tell me… Are you Beth?" Brittany stuttered.

Beth nodded grinning.

"Oh God… You have grown so much…" She stepped closer and hugged her. Beth grimaced not knowing who was the strange woman acting so comfortable and open with her.

"Well, I've seen you just once, immediately after you were born, so of course you have grown in 14 years, and… Oh god, Beth! Quinn and Puck's daughter!" She then covered her mouth with a hand, feeling emotional.

"I'm sorry if I insist… But who are you?" the young girl asked again.

"Oh right… Sorry… I'm Brittany, a friend of your father… And of your mother Quinn… And of your mother Shelby too… Oh… and of your sister Rachel… Well, I'm a friend of all your relatives!" She opened her arms wide with happiness, hoping to convey a little of her enthusiasm to that girl. She received only a grimace as a reply, one Brittany had already seen a thousand of times on the girl birth mother's face.

"Beth, baby, how many times do I have to tell you to not bring your helmet from New York. You don't need it. I'm not going to let you use the scooter here!" Puck entered the room and found Brittany and his daughter talking.

"Hey Britt! Did you see? Beth's here!" He told her happily.

"Puck, you didn't tell me you were living with a woman." Beth scowled at him, pointing at the blonde next to her.

"Yes, baby, but she is only a friend. Don't worry, you are the only woman in my life!" He walked closer to hold her tight, and the young girl smiled pleased at those words.

"God, she has grown so much!" Brittany continued to stare at her.

"I'm sorry?! You've said that you have only seen me after I was born. It's only natural I have grown up in all these years…" Beth pulled away from her father's arms and sent Brittany a glare.

Brittany smiled as she met Noah's eyes, who just shrugged amused.

"Let's see what you have bought!" the young girl began going through the bags.

Brittany walked closer to Puck and whispered

"Shit, she is exactly like Quinn… I'm seeing all her high school expressions."

The man nodded giving up and replied "Yes, and she even has the same bitchness!"

The blonde slapped him on the shoulder "Well… Congrats!" and then smirked amused.

* * *

><p>"Ok, now you have to keep you eyes closed… Promise?" Santana and Adam stepped out of the car. They were in Downtown Manhattan. And Santana still had her eyes closed.<p>

"Fuck Adam, you know how much I hate these things!" she replied letting herself be guided through a door nonetheless.

"I know, but you'll thank me, you'll see." He told her waiting for the elevator.

"There's an elevator? Where are you taking me?"

"Shhhh you'll find out in a minute."

Santana listened to Adam fiddle with some keys and then open a door.

"Okay, now you can open them!"

The brunette opened her eyes. They were in a penthouse. The place was enclosed by ample glass walls, from which you could see the beautiful Manhattan Skyline.

Startled, she said

"Wow! It's breathtaking." She went around the room and noticed the furniture. Everything tended towards the color white, making the house even brighter than it already was. She halted for a second to think.

"Do you like it?" Adam walked closer so that he could take her into his arms.

"Yes, it's a beautiful house… But, whose…"

"It's ours!" Adam interrupted her, before she could even ask the question, like he couldn't wait to blurt out his surprise.

Santana pulled away from his embrace.

"What?! You bought a whole penthouse in New York for us?", she nearly yelled incredulous while Adam just nodded happily.

"But… What the fu… How can we afford it?"

"Calm down baby… We can afford it…" He stared at her peacefully before continuing "They gave me a promotion, and I'm even in the company administration board now. I didn't tell you earlier because I wanted all this to be a surprise." He held her ready to kiss her. But Santana suddenly pulled away.

"I can't believe this… " She said running her hands through her hair nervously.

"I know… I couldn't believe it either. But they were so enthusiastic with my work that they decided to…"

"No Adam! I can't believe that you could take all these decisions without consulting me first!" She told him, pointing indiscriminately around the house, clearly angry at him.

"But… My love, I wanted to surprise you!" He said confused.

"Surprise me?" she said, upset "And tell me, did you already think of everything? When are we moving here?... Wait, maybe we are going back to the hotel and we'll find all our things already there? Did you even think about writing a letter to say goodbye to all our friends and family in Lima?"

"Santana calm down, please, and think about it for a moment." Adam's face had definitively changed. He now was tense.

"I don't see why I should calm down! Do you see what you have done here, Adam? Have you realized that you decided our moving to New York all by yourself, without asking my opinion?" She kept on yelling and walking nervously. She couldn't believe it, Adam knew what she thought about that.

"... if you only could just listen to me… I'll try to explain."

"Come on… I'll listen, because I really want to believe there's a rational explanation for all of this madness!"

"Well…" Adam was clearly in a panicking and was trying to find the right words to explain himself and calm his wife down, "My salary will be tripled. I'll have to work from here. Coming to New York for three days a week it's not enough anymore. And there will be no reason for you to keep on working, because the money I'll made will be more than enough for the both of us."

"Oh wonderful! So if I understand correctly, I have to quit my job and leave my family, my friends, my hometown to come and live here and just be Mr. Steven's wife. Spending all my days alone, waiting for my husband to come home in the evening?"

"Come on, don't look at it that way… We are young, we'll do everything. You'll find new friends here and there are always my colleagues' wives…" He tried to reason.

"Oh Christ Adam… I can't believe this is happening…"

"Why? Why Santana? What's wrong with that?"

"Because you know me, Adam! And you know how much I love my job, my friends and more than anything else how I love Lima!"

"But you can always go back to Lima whenever you want, it's just one hour flight from here." He answered.

"And… Okay… You want to keep on working? We'll find you a new job in one of New York hospitals. My boss already told me he knows the head physician of one of the City private clinics and that he could put in a good word for you to get hired." Adam continued.

"You really have thought about everything, haven't you?" She shook her head incredulously.

"What's wrong with that? I did it only for our own good!"

"No… It doesn't work like that… I'm sorry Adam, these are important things that need to be decided together." she turned around and walked towards the door.

"Baby… My love, where are you going?" Adam followed her worriedly.

"Let me go Adam, I need to be alone!" She said with her back still turned to him.

"Please… Please baby, don't ruin everything… Please." he whimpered.

"Adam, let me go…" Santana sighed before opening the door and leaving.

"Where are going?" He yelled from the stairs.

Santana didn't reply and got into the elevator, leaving behind a clearly shaken Adam.

* * *

><p>"So… How's New York?" Brittany immersed a cookie in the chocolate.<p>

"It sucks!" Beth said sipping her Coca-Cola.

"It sucks? Really? I've been there only twice in my life, and the second time has been fantastic!" She thought back to that year when they had won Nationals with the Glee Club. That had been a wonderful year: the high school diploma, her year as students president , and getting together, out in the open, with Santana, after the brunette had finally accepted herself. It had been one of best year of all her life.

"Yes, it was when you won Nationals with your club, right? My father doesn't talk about anything else! It's sad… It's clear that it has been the only joy in all his ife!" That was the girl's crushing remark.

"It was one of the best moment of my life too" Brittany replied smiling, not getting perturbed at those words.

Beth hinted a little smile before sipping her drink.

"Are you part of some clubs at school?" the older woman asked.

"Mmmm, no… They are all so stupid. If there was a literary club, I'd join."

"Okay…. And what do you do besides studying?"

"I write horror novels and compose gothic metal songs… I'm the lead singer and guitar player of a band." she said proudly.

"Cool!" Brittany replied amazed.

She then leaned over to grab another cookie from the other side of the table and noticed how Beth's eyes widened when her t-shirt neckline opened, showing more skin.

"Oh shit! Brittany, do you have a tattoo?" Beth cried out.

The blonde laughed "I've got more than one" she replied, crunching the cookie.

"Oh please, can I see them?" she begged.

Brittany then showed her tattoos to Beth, who kept on staring at them captivated.

"You have gained one thousand points in my ranking list with this." For the first time Beth smiled sincerely at her.

"Really? For so little?"

The young blonde nodded, grabbing a cookie from the box next to Brittany, before saying

"You are cool! I like you Brittany!" pointing at her, winking.

"I like you too!" She replied, before giving her a high five.

"Here they are, my two favorite blondies!" Puck entered the room.

"Brittany's got 3 tattoos!" The younger exclaimed immediately, while the older stared at her friend, feeling guilty, already knowing what question he would be getting.

"Wow! Are they cool?" He asked, keeping a straight face, while shooting Brittany an icy glare.

"So cool! I want one too!"

"Beth, we have already talked about it… When you'll be Brittany's age, you can have as many tattoos as you like." The man said.

"Brittany, how old are you?" Beth immediately asked.

"Your father's age." She made a face, while Puck opened his arms shrugging at his daughter.

"It's an eternity…"

"Hey!" They shout out in chorus, suddenly feeling incredibly old.

"Beth, you are only 14, you have all the time in the world to do it… In the meantime, which high school will you choose?" Brittany asked, trying to change subject.

"I'm not sure… I don't know if I want to stay in New York with my boring mom or if I want to come here." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't remember Shelby being boring…" Brittany pointed out.

"Oh yes she is… She always talks about her students at the NYADA and about musicals… So boring! I'm seriously thinking about coming here. I've already talked about it with mom"

"But you'll have to leave your band…"

"I'll form another one with Sam, we have already made arrangements." She replied immediately with sparkling eyes.

"Sam? But he is thirty!" Brittany exclaimed.

"So? I'm 14. Even in my other band I'm the youngest. The drummer is forty and the bassist is 35. Only the other guitar player is 25. Brittany's eyes were wide as she stared at Puck shocked. He nodded amused at his friend's reaction forhis daughter's ways.

"About Sam, we have to go. He's waiting for us for dinner. And he can't wait to see you again!" Puck hugged his daughter before lifting her up into the air.

"Sam! Yes!" Beth yelled happily.

"She has a crush on him." Puck leaned toward Brittany, whispering his daughter's secret. The blonde could only nod, more and more shocked.

"Puck, are we staying the night at Sam's? I want to play Guitar Hero 12 all night and try to beat him!"

"I don't know, we'll see, my little witch!" He pulled her back into his arms.

"Brittany, are you joining us?" He asked then.

"No, thank you, my first day at the restaurant has completely tired me out."

"Ok, as you wish."

"It's better this way. Sam will be all mine! Ah Britt… You are really cool! And I love your tattoos, even though I'd have done something more alternative with the unicorn: I'd have put a cutt-off head pierced by the horn." She yelled while her father dragged her out of the house.

Brittany nearly choked on the cookie, before bursting out laughing. Beth truly was his parents' daughter.

* * *

><p>Santana ran back to the airport without even stopping at the hotel to retrieve her things. She just wanted to leave that city, that stupid city that everybody loved but that she hated intensely, even more after what happened that day. She still couldn't believe how Adam acted. She felt like she didn't know her husband anymore, and that <em>he<em> didn't know her anymore. He perfectly knew how she hated when people made decisions for her, especially if those decisions were about her own life. In the past they had always done everything together: their home in Lima, they had chosen it together and together they had decorated it.

She didn't understand Adam's behavior. Maybe the world he was joining was dragging him in a vortex without end. After all it was a world where you don't consider other people, and if you have an opportunity you have to jump at it, without thinking about the consequences and about the people around you… Well, she didn't want to play the role of the stupid voiceless wife, who smiles at parties of the NY high society, arm in arm with her successful husband.

Finally, after an hour wait, they called her flight. She switched her phone back on. She had previously turned it off so her husband couldn't reach her.

_I'm going back to Lima. I hope you thought about all the crap you pulled today and that you'll bring back home the Adam I know and that I married_

She sent the message and then turned her cell back off. She didn't want to know his reply or even hear from him.

Adam was back at their hotel room, hoping that his wife would have gone back there. But she wasn't. His phone went off, alerting him of a new message. He read it. Immediately tears fell down his face and he collapsed on the bed like a dead weight.

"Shit… I've made a mess…" He sighed, drying the tears furiously like a child.

* * *

><p>Half-asleep, Brittany heard a muffled sound afar off. As she came to, opening her eyes, she recognized the incessant sound of the doorbell. She checked the time: it was 2 am. She lazily got up, thinking it was Puck who had forgotten the keys. She rushed to open the door before her head could explode at the persistence of that ring.<p>

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Shit Puck! Next time put a key under the doormat…" She immediately stopped seeing a devastated Santana with tears in her eyes.

"What… What are you doing here San? What's happened?" She asked worried.

The brunnette threw herself into Brittany's arms and cried even louder. Brittany tightened her hold, still scared at her lover's sight.

Santana had longed for that embrace. She had longed to feel Brittany's body against hers and the blonde's warmth enveloping her. She stopped crying and met those bewildered blue eyes.

"Is Puck home?" She asked the blonde sobbing. Brittany just shook her head as a reply, still too distressed to talk.

Santana grabbed the blonde's face and kissed her so intensely that Brittany was left stunned and immediately pulled away from those lips.

"San… Hey San, stop… What's happened? You should have been back tomorrow," she stared at the brunette's eyes, grabbing those hands that continued to search for her face, hoping to get another kiss.

"Can I stay here tonight? Please?" Santana asked giving up and avoiding her stare.

"Of course you can stay, but what's happened?"

Santana lifted her head and got lost in those eyes that were as confused as she was. She just wanted to stay with Brittany, feeling her body next to hers. She knew it wasn't right to ask for that without giving some explanations in return, but she decided to try nonetheless. She took the blonde's face into her hands and asked pitifully

"I just need to be with you tonight, please Britt."

Seeing those pleading eyes, the blonde was moved. She wanted to know what had happened, but, in that moment, she realized that Santana needed her, needed to feel her. So she closed the distance between their bodies and kissed her with all the love she had inside.


End file.
